Kimberly Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
by CopperCow
Summary: Remus and Severus insisted that Padfoot was a deranged murderer, but after the past few years, Kim didn't believe it. Besides, even if he was, she had her dog to protect her. If only Gilderoy Lockhart would stop trying to steal him...PoA AU, GWL, fem!/girl! Chosen One, implied child abuse (Dursleys), implied eventual DM/Kim, mentor Severus, NM/LM, DM/PP, 3rd in series
1. The First Kiss

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**This is the third in my **_**Girl-Who-Lived Series**_**! If you're new and don't want to read the others, I left some important facts at the very end of the chapter. So if you want to read **_**Kimberly Potter and the Philosopher's Stone **_**and **_**Kimberly Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,**_** don't read after the all capital bold letters! And Kim looks like Lily with James's eyes. I always thought he had brown eyes, but apparently he has hazel. And so, I always picture Kim with dark brown eyes, but because of this, I usually describe her as having dark eyes instead of saying brown or hazel.**

**Also, the first book chapter titles were all people, after that they were all places, now they're events! :)**

Chapter 1 The First Kiss

Sirius swam as Padfoot for so many hours that he was afraid that he was going to pass out from exhaustion and drown. After all these years of being hated and locked up, he never thought a pair of sleepy aurors would save him, who were probably leaving Azkaban after a fruitless search for him.

Luck must've been on his side because a young auror spotted him just as he felt his eyes start to droop. "Hey! Look over there! Looks like a dog!"

An older female auror growled impatiently as Sirius felt himself being magically pulled towards the boat. "What are you doing? It could be Black in disguise!"

Thankfully, the auror didn't stop summoning him. "Well we're supposed to catch 'im, aren't we? You can't expect me to leave the poor little guy out here! My daughter will kill me if she finds out!"

"Your daughter is two!" his boss exclaimed but didn't object as Padfoot was thrown on to the deck. Sirius was too exhausted to even open his eyes, so he had to settle for doing his best to listen for his fate without passing out.

The young man laughed nervously, and Sirius heard the creak of the ship's floor as he knelt beside him. "And she'll hear me telling my wife! I tell my wife everything, you know."

"I know," she ground out like she had heard the phrase a million times before and ran a few spells over Padfoot. "Hmmm… Seems like a normal dog. But what would it be doing out here?"

"Maybe he fell off someone else's boat," he chirped as Sirius started to drift off. "Black didn't take the aurors wands, so how would he magic himself into a dog?"

She rolled her eyes and pocketed her wand. "Because he's skilled in the Dark Arts! Just make sure he doesn't change into a man, Proudfoot! If he does, I'm telling Fudge that you saved Black's life because you thought he was a puppy!"

Proudfoot beamed. "Wait until my wife hears this!"

Thankfully, the aurors were still looking for him and didn't magically speed through the ocean, giving Sirius a much needed few hours rest. He felt bad for bolting once they reached the shore, but he couldn't afford to stick around now could he? He'll have to find a way to thank them one day…

Once Sirius was sure they lost him, he snuck into an alley and changed into human form. He knew it was risky, but he really thought he was going to die out there and never see land again. Only feeling a little foolish since he was so happy to be alive, Sirius fell to his knees and kissed the ground.

* * *

Ever since Sirius was denied a trial, Remus didn't pay much attention to the paper. The only reason he kept up his subscription was so he could at least _try_ to find a job, but because of his condition, he usually had better luck in the Muggle World, where he could pretend to have a chronic illness. He couldn't stand the pity, but it was better than the pure hatred that he faced in the Wizarding World.

And so, Remus didn't expect Severus to come storming into the cottage in the middle of the day. He was immersed in a novel and yelped in a rather undignified way when the floo roared to life, seemingly mirroring the potions master's temper.

Severus didn't speak at first. Instead, he looked around suspiciously and ignored Remus asking him what was wrong. Only when he was finished searching the entire house did he yell, "Alright. Where is he?"

"Who?" Remus said slowly, already dreading the answer. There was only one person it could be.

"Black!" he spat. "He knocked out the guards taking him to that hellhole and hasn't been seen since! Where else would he go?"

Stunned, Remus felt his mouth dry. Sirius swore that he was innocent, but he couldn't risk believing him. It wasn't that Remus didn't _want_ to, but after Lily and James died, he took a risk and lost everything. He wasn't about to do it again.

"He-he…" Remus felt himself pale. Over the past two years, Sirius made it very clear who his first priority was, even though only Mad-Eye truly believed him. "He would go to Privet Drive."

Severus tensed and then laughed bitterly. Of course he would. "And with only Figg to keep watch."

"Where are you going?" Remus asked, trying not to get miffed by the fact that Severus didn't trust him after all they had been through together these past two years. It wasn't like he was going to drop everything and run away with Sirius now that he was out of prison.

Severus stopped in front of the floo. His shoulders were rigid, telling Remus that he was getting impatient with having to tell him what he thought was obvious. "The Ministry is incompetent. I'm working with Vector right now, but until we can pick the brat up, an auror should keep track of her."

"I could do it!" Remus tried to keep the offense out of his voice, but he couldn't help it. Why didn't Severus trust him? He had ever done anything to him to prove untrustworthy? Well… lately anyway.

Irritated beyond belief, Severus spun around and said quickly, "Believe it or not Lupin, you are a person of interest in Black's escape. It won't do you any good to follow the girl around. At least until Black is caught or the hysterical excitement dies down to only slight panic that the average wizard only occasionally pays attention to in the papers."

Remus frowned as Severus left. So did Severus trust him or think he was in league with Sirius? He doubted it was completely the former, but it was still nice to think it was. At least, until something else went horribly wrong, and Remus was sure it was only a matter of time.

* * *

As far back as Kim could remember, he was the first person to call her beautiful.

He moved into Privet Drive after Piers Polkiss's mum got remarried, much to Aunt Petunia's disapproval. It was like they instantly connected. Or so she thought. Severus would later say that he was able to sniff out a target a mile away, but Kim refused to believe that until she was much older.

Since she was back at the Dursleys, Kim was back to staying outside as much as possible and found herself lazily strolling through the neighborhood, wondering if she would be allowed to come home for lunch. She didn't run like she did last year, since she was less agitated because she knew she would eventually be leaving. She was more… _bored_ than anything else. And lonely. The only people to talk to hated her, and she found herself picking fights with Dudley's friends more often than not. It never crossed her mind to try to be nice to anyone who wasn't nice to her first.

The sudden sound of bicycle tires zooming towards her made Kim stop in her tracks and spin around, expecting to see Dudley trying to run her over. Instead, she saw the boy who from that point on never failed to make her heart skip a beat.

"Hey," he said with a lazy smile. His long, dirty blonde hair clung messily around his face and his light blue eyes lit up at the sight of her. "How are you?"

Kim bit her lip, wondering if she should be polite or not. He was Piers Polkiss's stepbrother after all. It was best not to trust him. She did her best to look irritated when she said flatly, "Hungry…And now annoyed."

He laughed warmly and then patted the handle bars on his bike. "Well then you're in luck… Kim? I scored myself a summer job at the pizza place down the road. Lunch's on me."

"Really?" Kim narrowed her eyes. After two weeks with the Dursleys, she wasn't going to pass this opportunity up. But… "How old are you anyway?"

He smirked in a way that reminded Kim of herself when she was showing off during Quidditch practice. "Old enough to be saving for a car."

Kim's eyes popped out of her head. "You're seventeen?!"

"No! No! No!" He waved his hands frantically and nearly fell off his bike. Kim laughed nervously at his darkening blush. "I-I'm fifteen. But I'll be sixteen in the fall. Cars are expensive you know…"

"Riiiight…" Free pizza or no, it was pretty creepy for a seventeen year old to want to hang out with a nearly thirteen year old. Kim slowly started to back away. "Piers said you were twenty."

He raised his eyebrows. "Before or after you kicked him in his bits?"

Kim frowned as she tried to remember. She was gardening, and Piers was telling Dudley about his new brothers. Then he wiped the mud from his shoe on her scalp. "Before."

He chuckled and then held out his hand. "He was talking about my brother Rodney. My name's Stanley."

"Oh." Hoping she looked a lot calmer than she felt, Kim hesitantly reached out to shake his hand. She smiled weakly, trying to think of something cool to say like the women in the movies Aunt Petunia liked to watch. Instead, all she could come up with was, "You should buy me French fries too."

He threw his head back and laughed before shaking her hand. "Deal."

From then on, they were inseparable.

* * *

"So." Septima Vector smiled proudly to herself. Severus's house was practically lined with charts with random facts supplied by Lupin. How much Kimberly weighed when she was born, the exact hour she was born, ect. He wondered if it would be rude to kick her out once she told him when he could pick the girl up. "She's not yet thirteen. And she was born as a month was dying, so it would be best to pick her up as the moon cycle is dying. Meaning at night on the full moon."

"And that'll change when she's thirteen because?" Severus wondered if he should even try to understand. If only he thought the girl had enough courage to get herself emancipated at fifteen.

Septima smirked and stole a quick kiss, laughing when Severus scowled. "Thirteen is the next powerful number after eleven. After that, it's seventeen. Next year I think it'll be best to pick her up on her birthday. But we'll double check it next year just to be safe. Like in case she gets a new wand or is injured or is in a committed relationship, something big like that."

Severus scoffed. "Why would a thirteen year old be in a _committed _relationship? One so committed that it affects the numbers?"

"She likes the Malfoy boy." Septima's eyes twinkled when Severus gritted his teeth like he was keeping himself from calling her stupid. "It's true! I like to people watch. If the…I think her name's Parkinson? If she even looked in Mr. Malfoy's direction, your little girl looks ready to sprout fangs and rip her throat out!"

"Stop calling her that!" Severus snapped, trying not to think of what he saw in the Mirror of Erised nearly two years ago. She wasn't his daughter. James Potter held that title.

Septima hummed, obviously pretending to agree with him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't I get a reward for helping you out?"

And so the stare off began. Severus was tempted to say, _Yes. An escort to the door._ But he figured that would cause a bit of awkwardness next year. He knew she wanted sex, but this was the first relationship (if it could be called that much and he seriously doubted it) that he was in since Lily's death. He wasn't ready for that.

Finally, Severus smirked. "Will a prepackaged dinner be suffice?"

Septima whined like a child and stomped her foot. "Fine. But there _will _be _dessert_."

"We'll see," was all Severus was willing to say about that at the moment.

* * *

Kim was beginning to think that Stanley didn't really want a car because he spent most of his money buying her food when they weren't terrorizing Privet Drive on his bike. He said that the Dursleys were a small tribe of ass scratchers, and he understood why she didn't want to go home for lunch or dinner. She wondered if he knew the truth and was just being nice.

He was a lot like her in many respects. He liked to be complimented and liked to try all sorts of new foods. They both practically fought to the death when they played football because they were so competitive. And he hated Piers and Dudley. That was a bonus because they didn't pick on her when Stanley was around. They would zoom past them on his bike and call them foul names that made Dudley cry to Aunt Petunia later that night. She was having so much fun that she didn't even mind when Uncle Vernon hit her in the face for telling Dudley to eat shit earlier in the day.

"It's ugly, I know," Kim said the next night as they walked around town, a few hours after he first started staring at the bruise on her cheek. She wasn't planning on saying anything, but he kept sneaking glances at it all day.

Stanley shook his head. "You're beautiful."

Laughing nervously, Kim shook her head. Her heart was starting to flutter crazily, so she tried to think of something to say to distract herself. "I have an ugly scar under my bangs. Wanna see?"

Stanley gave her a funny look while Kim started internally berate herself. Why would she say that?! She didn't want to show him her scar! Aunt Petunia said it made her look so ugly that people _had_ to stare. Oh God! Why did she have to say that?! She didn't mind when he said he liked her long, red hair or thought it was cute how easily she got sunburned! She should've just smiled smugly and said, _I know_ like she always did. Before Kim could think of a way to further embarrass herself further, Stanley kissed her.

Kim gasped in shock as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closely to him. She didn't quite get over the shock, but Kim quickly found herself kissing him back. He could've warned her! Then she could think about what else she should do! Should she hug him back? Before she could decide, he withdrew.

Breathless, Stanley panted out a chuckle. "You squeaked."

Kim was sure her eyes were the size of dinner plates right now. It was worse than she thought! "I-I didn't know you liked me… like that."

"I know what you're thinking," Stanley informed her, sounding a little like he was rehearsing a speech. "That we won't see each other once you go back to that criminal boarding school. But that's okay."

Criminal boarding school?! Where the hell did that come from? She supposed he meant Hogwarts but where would… Kim thinned her lips to keep herself from gaping like an idiot. Dudley. Well, at least he was still her friend even if he thought she was a criminal... "It is?"

"Yeah." He smiled lazily in a way that made her heart feel like it was soaring. "Because we'll only be together during the summer. During the school year, we'll just do whatever we want."

And just like that, the soaring feeling came crashing down. "Oh." If the disappointment in her voice was clear, Stanley ignored it. "Yeah. I won't even have a phone so…"

Stanely's grin widened, and he kissed her again. This time Kim heard her own squeak. "Good. Not to worry, beautiful. We've got the whole summer ahead of us."

* * *

For a while, Draco didn't tell his parents that Pansy was his girlfriend. Mostly because he was embarrassed to admit that he _had_ a girlfriend. Pansy must've felt the same because when both of their families got together for dinner, she kept sending nervous glances to her father and wouldn't even sit next to Draco.

At first, he was kind of annoyed that she trapped him into going out with her, but eventually, Draco found himself having stronger feelings for Pansy than he did for Kim.

It was hard to explain. He liked Kim way more than Daphne, but he felt the best around Pansy. He could say whatever he wanted, and she wouldn't bat an eye. She made him feel like he could do anything, and she would stay right by his side. That along with the fact that he didn't feel like he had to save her.

With Kim, she was always getting into some sort of trouble that she couldn't handle, which made him constantly worry about her. And last summer, she had this haunted, kicked puppy look about her that made his heart ache. But like a puppy that was kicked a few times too many, if he got to close, she would bite.

Pansy was safe. They grew up together and knew what they both liked. It was effortless with Pansy.

The first time he kissed her, they were in his garden as the sun started to set. He was hesitant, not sure if he should ask first, but Pansy didn't seem to mind. She sighed happily into his lips like it couldn't have been more perfect.

"Draco…" She had yet to open her eyes, and he could tell that she was happy. "I wish this summer would last forever."

"Me too." As they watched the sun go down, Draco wondered how long this peacefulness would last.

* * *

Kim didn't think much of it when Stanley asked to see her room. He probably wanted to meet Hedwig, since she constantly complained about the owl being cooped up all the time. It didn't even cross her mind that he wanted to _do _anything.

But as soon as she shut her door, he started kissing her, much more passionately than he did when they were outside. Kim felt like she couldn't breathe as he started walking, causing her to follow and walk backwards until she stumbled on to her bed.

"What are you—?" He silenced her with another kiss, and Kim started to panic when he reached up her shirt, fingers ghosting over the skin as they glided up her stomach.

She squirmed when he started slowly lifting her white t-shirt up with his other hand, but only stopped when he noticed she was starting to cry. Considering that Hedwig's cage flew right at his head with her in it, Kim figured he was too little, too late.

Stanley screamed and flew off the bed, looking around frantically as Kim's few small objects started floating in the air and hitting him. Putting her hands over her head, Kim closed her watery eyes as he kept screaming. Poor Hedwig was freaking out while Kim tried to think of what to do. She wasn't sure if it made it better or worse when the Magical Law Enforcement showed up.

* * *

"What happened?" Remus asked breathlessly when he reached Privet Drive. When Albus firecalled him, he thought the worst because of Sirius's escape and apparated before the man could finish telling him why law enforcement was at the Dursleys.

Severus had already apparated to the scene and resembled an angry dog being held back by its owner. His would-be prey looked like a young man who seemed dazed as he spoke to Accidental Magical Reversal Squad. "I told you we should've spoken to her!"

Remus blinked in surprise. "What?"

Before he could fill him in, Kim rushed over to them, looking absolutely terrified. For some reason, she deliberately wouldn't look at Severus and hid her face by hugging Remus. "I'm sorry!"

Confused, Remus slowly hugged her back. "What happened, sweetheart? Did you get in a fight?"

Severus laughed bitterly. "You are lucky he's a Muggle, Kimberly. Because if he wasn't…"

Kim shook her head, still not parting from Remus. They heard a muffled, "It was an accident."  
"Oh really?" Severus asked sarcastically. "A nearly sixteen year old boy _accidently _found himself in your room?"

Remus felt his jaw drop as he whipped his head in the direction of the Muggle boy, who was being escorted home after being _Oblivated_. "H-how?"

Kim didn't say anything until Remus grabbed her by her shoulders and forced the two of them apart. "He wanted to meet Hedwig…"

By how red her face was turning, Remus didn't believe that for one second. He said sternly, "Kimberly Lily Potter! Tell the truth. Unless you want me to ask his parents?"

Kim squeaked and tried not to let her eyes dart to Stanley's house. It would be a bad idea to let Severus know where he lived… She was hoping they would buy the Hedwig story. Then she would make up that he had a pager that scared her into having accidental magic. "I-I thought he just wanted to kiss me but… I got scared when… I didn't think he would try to take off my shirt…"

Remus felt too shocked to even react, but Severus didn't. Kim grabbed his arm when he started stomping in the direction of the boy, and at first, Remus could only stare as he kept moving with her being dragged behind him. "Severus! He doesn't remember!"

Severus didn't turn around. "So he'll try to do it again!"

"But…" Remus felt himself panicking. Severus wasn't going to listen to reason, and if he got arrested for cursing a Muggle child, Kim would be stuck at the Dursleys all summer. "Severus! Don't make me stun you!"

Growling, Severus stopped so quickly that Kim crashed into him. Rarely seeing him so murderous, Kim ran off to who knows where, but Remus was too worried about Severus killing the boy to chase after her.

"It won't happen again." Trying not to be intimidated, Remus smiled weakly as Severus slowly turned around. "She'll probably be too afraid to even talk to him after this."

That didn't pacify Severus in the slightest. If anything, he resembled a wild animal that Remus had just stopped from catching a baby bunny. "So you just want to forget about it? You aren't even going to talk to her about it?"

"Well…" Remus intended to talk to Kim about it but not in the way he was sure Severus wanted to. He just planned to tell her that it was improper for a girl her age. She was too young to be given the Sex Talk.

As anyone could predict, Severus only became more enraged at his weak reply. "Fine!" he snarled. "You deal with it when she gets pregnant!"

Remus sighed as Severus apparated away before he could respond. What a way to start off the summer.

* * *

From what Kimmy had told him previously, Sirius knew that she was still stuck with those horrible Muggles. He had a vague idea where that was, but it took him a few weeks to get there and a few days stalking and stealing from the mailman to find the exact address.

It was the middle of the night, so he settled for sleeping at a nearby park. And it was a good thing too because the next day, the place was packed with aurors. Sirius feared the worst and felt his heart skip a beat when he saw Remus with arrive shortly after Snivellus. But it looked like only the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad was there, so he wasn't discovered. Once they were gone, he breathed a sigh of relief. Now he could finally find Kimmy.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! A **_**long**_** talk is in Kim's future! D: What you ya'll think of Kim's sort of but not really boyfriend? This isn't the last of him! You'll get to see him up until the summer before sixth year! ;) Please review!**

**FOR NEW READERS WHO DON'T WANT TO READ THE OTHER TWO BOOKS:**

**1\. Kim has a bad problem with accidental magic when she gets nervous. It builds up in her brain and hurts her head when she gets really scared (like when she faced the troll).**

**2\. Lucius gave her Tom Riddle's diary instead of giving it to Ginny in **_**The Chamber of Secrets **_**because she has a rocky friendship with Draco.**

**3\. Kim and Padfoot exchanged letters first year, and she tried to help him get a trial last book.**

**4\. Severus and Remus are the primary parental figures in Kim's life right now.**

**5\. Oh, and this is only important for chapter 3, Kim lied to Lucius and told him that Draco kissed her when she was blackmailing him into freeing Dobby. She wanted him to, but he only hugged her instead, so she'll be rather jealous this year! ;)**


	2. The Fight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Thank you anadisenchanted, TamariChan, Kaylee13133, and Lizzie Salvatore for reviewing! Oh and sharkmm for reviewing the one-shot!**

**anadisenchanted: I actually tend to struggle with that. I've always seen Kim as a very immature character, and I intended for her to really start sticking up for herself fourth year, around the Second Task. Also, I wouldn't exactly say she's "boy obsessed." It was more that she gets really lonely at Privet Drive, and he's the only one who likes her there. I think that when someone feels that no one likes them and suddenly one person does, that he or she tends to be more willing to put up with that person treating them like crap. So it was more of a confidence issue. No one else likes her at Privet Drive, so she sticks with the one person who does, even if he can be a jerk. That being said, I did try to make her **_**attempt**_** stick up for herself more in this chapter, but not a complete turnaround like you advised. (Although I know she forgave him too easily.) I will address this more in chapter 3 when Remus and Severus talk to her about it though. They'll say a lot of what you said. :)**

Chapter 2 The Fight

Kim stayed away from Number Four for the rest of the day because even though the Dursleys took Dudley and some of his friends to an amusement park, she didn't want to be home if one of the neighbors told Aunt Petunia the police were at her house. She was told to stay outside all day, and they didn't know that Kim knew where they hid the spare key to the front door.

Still, it was rather lonely wandering around the neighborhood without Stanley, and it reminded her of her lonely days before Hogwarts, where she had no friends and everyone thought she was disturbed. Kim supposed that was true now as well since Uncle Vernon told everyone she spent the school year in a place for young criminals.

Kim wasn't sure whether she should forgive him or not, but she already missed him. She sat on the swings by herself for a while until it started to get dark.

* * *

Aunt Petunia must've stopped at the grocer's on the way home because when Kim dared to head back to Number Four, she heard her aunt screaming at the stop of her lungs while fighting for her life for a packet of frozen chicken fingers.

"LET GO! LET GO!" she shrieked as she was stuck in a game of tug-of-war with a huge black dog.

Dudley and his friends were cowering in the car, but after a moment, Uncle Vernon decided to take a stab at being brave and stomped over to the dog. "Shoo!" He tried to wave the dog away, but when that didn't work, his voice rose to just under a shout. "I said GO!"

The dog didn't seem too bothered by the walrus yelling at him. He glanced in Uncle Vernon's direction, growling menacingly and went back to tugging at the bag. Afraid, Uncle Vernon shrunk back when he caught sight of the dog's teeth, so Aunt Petunia finally gave up on the dream of Dudley having a day's supply of chicken fingers and let go.

Kim stared as the dog made off with its prize. She always wanted a dog. She always wanted a lot of pets, actually. Not bothering to acknowledge the Dursleys any further, Kim ran off in search of it.

She found him hiding in the bushes at the nearby park and wrinkled her nose cutely at the sound of him ripping open the bag. "Hi."

There was a growl and then a sniffing noise, followed by a happy bark. With a frozen chicken finger in its mouth, the dog trotted out of the bush, wagging its tail. Kim grinned as she watched the skinny guy chomp it down.

"You must really like chicken fingers if you're willing to eat them frozen," Kim commented as she slowly reached out to pet him. Thankfully, the dog didn't snap at her and leaned his head into her hand. He was sweet.

Smiling, Kim knelt down and watched as the dog ran over to the bush to get the rest of his frozen food. He devoured it as if he hadn't eaten in days. "Do you want to be my pet? You won't be allowed in the house, but we'll look for food for you in people's trash if you want. I did it once. It's not that bad."

The dog paused and whined but then wagged his tail, temporarily parting from his feast to give her hand a quick lick. Kim spluttered at the mushy bread crumbs he left behind on her hand and wiped it in the grass. What should she call him?

"Hmmm…" Kim frowned. All black dogs were probably named something about their color like Midnight or Coal. He was obviously a strange dog, so he needed a strange name to set him apart from the rest. "How about I call you… Chicken Finger?"

The dog froze and pulled his face out of the bag. He looked at her and shook his head frantically. Kim bit her lip, wondering if she could catch fleas. Chicken Finger must have them in his ears to be shaking his head like that. Dogs weren't smart enough to reject their name after only hearing it once.

Cautiously, Kim scratched Chicken Finger's ears. "Don't worry. I've got a friend who will let us use his bath tomorrow. He hates his stepmum so he won't mind getting fleas in the house."

Sirius whined and pouted, covering his nose with his paws. If only he thought to write _PADFOOT _in the dirt or something cool like Midnight. Now he was stuck with the name Chicken Finger for Merlin knew how long.

* * *

When Kim found Stanley again, she found herself angrier than she thought she would be, and by how cautiously he was watching her as they stared at each other from across the street, she could tell that he remembered some version of the truth. Chicken Finger seemed to sense this because he titled his head to the side like dogs often do when they get confused.

"I didn't like… You shouldn't have done that." Her voice was so low that she barely heard it herself. Ashamed, Kim cleared her throat and said louder, "You shouldn't have acted like that. I went ten years without friends. I don't need you."

He looked at his feet. She would later learn from Remus that his memory was modified to think she had panicked and attacked him until a neighbor came in after hearing her screams. "I thought you—"

"You thought I would let you!" she screamed, voice suddenly so high that Chicken Finger whined and covered his ears with his paws. "Well guess what? We only do what I say!"

Stanley blinked in surprise. "Soooo… we're still friends?"

Kim frowned at the word 'friends.' She tried to ignore how much that hurt. Instead, she stuck her nose in the air and said, "My dog needs a bath."

* * *

To Kim's horror, she stumbled downstairs for breakfast a few days later to find Aunt Marge sitting at the table. Apparently the dog breeder came the night before but by the time she snuck in, everyone was already asleep except Dudley, who didn't bother to turn away from his computer to bother her.

With a revolted look on her face, Kim slowly sat at the table. She'd rather share a meal with Pansy Parkinson. Should she acknowledge her? Either way, she would be considered impolite, so Kim settled for silence. Aunt Marge liked to insult her, so she guessed she was doing her a favor.

As predicted, Aunt Marge humphed in a way that resembled a laugh. "Is the girl just getting in, Petunia? I'm sure you could find a doctor to secretly get her fixed for the right price. You don't want to be stuck with _two_ of them. Bad breeding. Nothing will change it."

"We found someone to take her for half the summer," Aunt Petunia said tiredly. Uncle Vernon didn't even bother to look away from his paper. "She'll be their problem soon."

Aunt Marge glared at her while Kim was wondering if it was in her best interest to glare back. Remus said she'd be leaving in a couple days. She'd have to wait to do something until the night before. "I know what you're thinking, girl."

"You do?" Kim asked lightly as cut a huge piece of butter for her toast because she knew Aunt Petunia hated it when she did so. Maybe she could get Chicken Finger to pee in Aunt Marge's suitcase.

Aunt Marge sneered at her. "You think you can be just like you're mother but not meet the same end she did. But you'll attract the same sort of mate. I see it all the time with dogs. Stupid breeds with stupid."

Kim felt anger boil up within her and tried to keep it under control. Unfortunately, she couldn't hold her tongue. She raised her eyebrows as Dudley started loudly laughing with bits of sausage in his mouth. So much for waiting a couple days. Ever the brat, she turned her head obnoxiously to get a good look at everyone at the table. "I see it all the time with people too."

Aunt Marge snorted when Aunt Petunia whacked her on the back of the head. "You won't be able to beat it out of this one, Petunia. If only you could've drowned her while she was a pup. Glad I've never had children."

To keep from throwing something, Kim tried to picture Aunt Marge's mustache and meaty hands on a baby. "I'm glad too."

Finally, Uncle Vernon set his newspaper down. "Hallway."

Struggling to keep herself under control, Kim shook her head. He should've at least warned her that the bitch was coming! She was going to have to distract herself somehow. "Aunt Marge? Do you want to hear about my new school? I was bitten by this HUGE snake and…"

"And you're a little liar that's what you are," Aunt Marge snapped, not taking note of the sickly pink color Uncle Vernon turned or the high pitched yelp from Aunt Petunia at the mention of Hogwarts. "But let me tell you something, Missy. No one cares about you, and they never will. So the little sympathy card you're playing at isn't going to work. You could've died from that 'snake bite,' and it would've been a relief to this family!"

As if slapped, Kim went rigid, not otherwise reacting until Marge smirked. That stung no matter how much she hated the Dursleys. Furious, she spat, "Well anyone with eyes would be relieved if you died! And Colonel Fubster probably thinks you're a man! And-and aahh!"

Too upset to try to think of anything clever to say like Hermione would have, Kim settled for the next best thing and hurled Uncle Vernon's cup full of juice over Aunt Marge's head. Aunt Petunia screamed and Uncle Vernon rose from his seat to try to grab her hair. Kim stomped on his foot and ran into the kitchen. She then ripped open a drawer and grabbed a knife. "Leave me alone!"

When she saw Dudley dive under the table and Aunt Marge cover her head, she felt rather stupid as she dropped the knife and ran off. Why was this summer so hard? Sure, she could've stayed silent the whole meal or forced out politeness with the insults, but she was getting pretty sick of this. Was it so much to ask for _someone _to be nice to her without needing anything in return?

* * *

After first meeting him, Chicken Finger didn't like Stanley too much and would snap at his wrists if he tried to hold her hand. Kim supposed it was just as well, because she was still a bit sore with him. She mostly just wanted someone to talk to.

"_Mum_…" He said the word with such high contempt that Kim wondered why he was forced to say it. She couldn't imagine him ever saying it nicely and that defeated the purpose now didn't it? "… is taking Piers to London with your stupid cousin try out all the different restaurants. Dad went too. And my brother won't bother us. Wanna go to my house?"

For obvious reasons, Kim hesitated and flinched when Chicken Finger growled. "Chicken Finger isn't house trained."

"Will you change that bloody name already?" Stanley muttered while shaking his head. He sighed when she glared at him. "He can stay outside. We'll only make cookies. I promise."

"And we'll stay in the kitchen?" Kim asked through clenched teeth as if that would help matters.

Stanley grinned triumphantly. "'Course!"

* * *

Lupin was lucky that he was picking Kimberly up during the full moon because Severus was still furious with him for not wanting to talk to the girl about sex. Well it was going to happen whether he liked it or not. _And_ the wolf was going to be present so the brat knew they were in agreement. She was being too naïve and for once, wasn't bossing around whoever was following her like she usually did. He doubted he could put a stop to it with gory descriptions of STDs and birth, but that was only half the conversation.

Unfortunately, Narcissa wanted to go with him again to pick Kimberly up. Something about her was infuriatingly smug, but Severus was too agitated to dwell on it. He didn't think it was possible, but he hated Privet Drive even more than he did last year.

He rang the doorbell continuously until Petunia Dursley ripped it open. She glared at him but paled at the sight of Narcissa. "Kimberly isn't here."

Severus supposed his heart would've sunk if this didn't make him so angry. "Then where is she, Petunia?"

Eager to get rid of her after the other night, Petunia pointed across the street. "At the Polkiss—I mean _Kowright_ house."

Narcissa wrinkled her nose in revulsion when she heard a drunken hiccup in the background followed by a, "You'd best leave her there, Petunia. Once she gets pregnant, you can pressure them into to taking her off your hands."

"Yes, I know. But a friend of her father's is here to pick her up." And with that, Petunia slammed the door in their faces.

Fuming, Severus turned heel and started storming across the street, not hearing Marge reply, "Oh? Is he a drunk too?"

"Who was the other one?" Narcissa hissed as she followed Severus across the street. "She sounded disgusting."

Severus didn't answer. It was rather tempting to kick open the front door, but he settled for using magic to unlock it instead. He was willing to search and rip apart the entire house if he had to, but a boy's laughter stopped in his tracks and sent him stomping towards what he supposed was the kitchen.

"How-how…" He stopped to laugh again. "How can you fit all of that in your mouth?"

So angry that he could've sworn he saw red, Severus kicked open the door, causing to boy to cry out in shock, and Kimberly to start choking. Annoyed once he realized what was really going on, he stared at her as she doubled over. Her mouth had been crammed to capacity with cookies, but she was currently making a fool of herself by hacking them up all over the floor.

"Who the hell are you?" the boy demanded. "Get out of my house before I phone the police!"

Before Severus could throw a proper fit, Narcissa, who was wetting a dishtowel for Kim, said in a clipped tone, "It's none of your business who we are. We're here to pick up Kim."

The boy must have been stupider than Severus gave him credit for because he looked between himself and Narcissa and said, "She told me her parents were dead."

To Severus's surprise, Narcissa glared at him as if she truly hated him as she handed Kim the dish towel. "Well we're the next best thing."

* * *

Kim almost forgot Chicken Finger as they headed back to Privet Drive to get her things. He barked and somehow managed to jump over the fence to catch up to them. The dog growled at Severus and Narcissa like he instantly despised them.

Severus took out his wand but lowered it when Kim scratched behind the dog's ears. "What is that?"

Wishing Remus was here so she would have an easier time keeping her new pet, Kim pouted as cutely as she could. "My dog Chicken Finger."

"What?" The dog whined slightly at his name. Severus wondered if it had ticks or fleas. "You can't keep it. We'll find a shelter for it."

To Severus's horror, Kimberly's eyes welled up with tears. "But-but I take good care of him! I feed him every day, three times a day, and-and—"

Expecting Narcissa to intervene, Severus snapped, "I am not Lupin, Kimberly. I don't fall for tears, and I won't believe any false promises. And what were you doing at that boy's house? You're lucky I didn't—"

"Remus said I could keep him," Kim lied quickly, knowing that she was in deep trouble once they went to the cottage. She gazed up at the full moon in the sky. She bought Chicken Finger a couple of days at least. "He said that he would take care of him while I'm at school."

Severus narrowed his eyes. He couldn't risk the brat refusing to leave and screaming in the middle of the street when he grabbed her to apparate. The Ministry wouldn't take too kindly to him kidnapping the Girl Who Lived with Black on the loose. Fine. The mutt would be Lupin's problem after this. "You _will _pick up the feces this week."

Disgusted, Kim shook her head, not knowing she was admitting to breaking one of the most important rules of doggy etiquette. "He likes to go on other people's lawns."

Severus cast his eyes at the sky as if some greater power would swoop down and help him. At least the waste wouldn't be his problem. "The second he urinates on the floor, he's going to the pound."

* * *

For some reason, Kim could tell Narcissa was furious with her as they went back to Number Four and packed her things, but she didn't have the courage to ask until they were safe and sound at Spinner's End. "Erhm… What did I do?"

Even Severus watched with interest as Narcissa's nostrils flared, and she folded her arms over her chest. "I was under the impression that you and Draco were exclusive."

"Exclusive?" Severus repeated. He almost snorted until he taught more deeply into what she said. His black eyes stared Kim down. First the Muggle and now this. "And why would she think that Kimberly?"

Kim opened her mouth to say she had no idea, but then she quickly closed it and blushed. Damn it! She could tell she was already in trouble with Severus. "Well… We aren't! But uh… when I was going crazy to free Dobby, I may have lied a _teensy_ bit."

"Did you?" Severus tried to sound sarcastically surprised despite the fact that relief was flooding through him. If she and Draco were dating, the problem he thought he had would have been ten times worse.

Kim squirmed in her seat as Chicken Figure shifted slightly to get a better look at her, like he was torn between curiosity and exasperation. "Well, I told Mr. Malfoy that Draco kissed me… when he didn't."

Severus could tell that Narcissa was beyond disappointed. Her shoulders slumped, and she rose from her seat on the sofa to head from the floo. "Oh. I'll stop by tomorrow, sweetheart. I forgot to bring ingredients to bake something."

* * *

"Is Mrs. Malfoy mad at me?" Kim asked while she and Severus had a late dinner. Absentmindedly, she handed Chicken Finger a piece of her stake.

Severus bit his tongue to hold in his comment when she fed the mutt a string bean. "No. I didn't think she would, but she probably got herself caught up in the fairy tale."

"Fairy tale?" Kim asked in confusion as she handed Chicken Finger half her dinner roll.

Not wanting to answer the question, Severus closed his eyes, so he wouldn't see the dog obnoxiously wolf down the roll. "Kimberly, it's a dog. If you keep feeding it human food, it'll get fat."

"No." Kim snickered because Severus was losing the battle of pretending he didn't care about Chicken Finger. "He has a fast metabolism. He was kinda fat after I feed him all Dudley's chocolate at lunch time. But he's back to normal now."

Severus tensed. "You did what?"

Not knowing much about pets since she was never allowed to have them, Kim gave Severus a funny look. "What? He really likes chocolate. I gave him a chocolate muffin from the neighbor's trash for breakfast. And I was mad at Dudley so…"

* * *

Kim didn't think Severus cared enough about Chicken Finger to rush him to a Muggle Vet at nine o'clock at night, but that's exactly what he did. She smiled to herself in the back seat of his beat up car and buried her face in the dog's black fur. Clearly, Severus gave in so easily about keeping Chicken Finger because he was an animal lover.

It took nearly an hour to find one that was still open and Severus finally explained what the problem was after he parked. He opened her door and glanced at the busy road when Chicken Finger hopped out. "Dogs can't have chocolate, Kimberly. I know you were poorly socialized as a child, but it is considered common knowledge."

"Why?" Kim asked, hoping it was dark enough that Severus would see her cheeks burning red. 'Poorly socialized' to her meant no one liked her to the point that they could barely tolerate talking to her.

"Because." Severus opened the door, vaguely wondering how a stray was so well behaved without a leash. They headed straight to the front desk, and the dog didn't even go nuts sniffing the place down. Leave it to Kimberly to find an odd pet. "Their bodies can't handle it. They have a severe reaction and can die from it."

The receptionist smiled at him but her smile quickly faltered at the permit scowl on his face. "Can-can I help you?"

"Yes…" Severus's tone implied an added _Why else would we be here? _"It appears her dog ingested a significant amount of chocolate."

The receptionist leaned over the front desk and frowned at the sight of the dog. He looked far from sick and even wagged his tail at the sight of her. "Well… Is he registered with us? If not, you'll have to fill out these forms. Has he had all his shots?"

Severus wondered if he could get away with lying. Surely the dog must've had a home at one point to survive into adulthood and be this well behaved. "I believe so."

"Okay." The receptionist seemed to not want to ask him many questions. She stood up and reached for the dog's leash. Her eyes widened when she saw there wasn't one and quickly snatched a spare off the coat rack to take the dog back with the veterinarian.

Trying not to think about how much this was going to cost, Severus snatched the necessary forms and a pen off the receptionist's desk and sat in the waiting area. "What's its name, Kimberly?"

"Chicken Finger," Kim said proudly as she sat next to him.

Severus stopped writing until the pen started pooling ink on the paper. "I'm not writing that."

Kim threw her hands up in the air. He wasn't even sick! "I was thinking of changing his name to Sever anyway."

So used to being able to snap quills, Severus gripped the pen so tightly his fingers turned white. "Why? You know what? Never mind," he said quickly as he scribbled a name on a form. "His name is Midnight now."

Kim scoffed and folded her arms over her chest. "So unoriginal."

* * *

The vet wasn't nearly as afraid of Severus as the receptionist was. He beamed and paid no notice to the potions master's sulky behavior. "Midnight's fine. Perhaps it's because he's a big dog, and I suppose he was given milk chocolate instead of dark? Chocolate is still bad for him, but he can handle more than a smaller dog."

Kim wasn't sure if she believed that or not. Maybe Chicken Finger was a magical dog. "He ate a chocolate muffin and six bars today."

"Kimberly!" Severus yelled incredulously. The mutt growled at him from the metal table he was sitting on.

But the vet thought that Kim simply miscounted or was exaggerating like children tend to do. He laughed warmly at Severus. "Not to worry! Your daughter's best friend will be just fine."

"She's not my daughter," Severus said automatically, used to Septima's teasing. He inwardly winced when the atmosphere suddenly changed. He should've just let it go…

"Oh." At Kim's hurt face, the vet suddenly became extremely awkward. "Well, how about you set up a follow up for tomorrow, and we'll get this big guy his shots."

* * *

Severus was hoping Kimberly would forget about what happened, but when he heard a few sniffles on the car ride back to Spinner's End, he almost groaned. "I didn't mean it like that, Kimberly."

"Then how did you mean it?" She was once again hiding in the dogs fur but because she was angry and hurt instead of laughing at him. "I know I do stupid things. But I thought you liked me."

Severus kept his eyes on the road and didn't speak for a while. At least the wolf wasn't around to yell at him. "If I didn't care about you, that dog would be shivering in the streets at Privet Drive right now while you would be doing Merlin knows what with that boy. Which we will be talking about by the way."

"I yelled at him!" Kim cried defensively. "But Chicken Finger doesn't like him either… I thought about changing his name to Sever because he's all black, and you've got black hair and eyes."

Suddenly, the dog howled as if someone had hit him, and he was in unbearable pain, causing Severus to jump and nearly lose control of the car. He supposed it was rather sweet that she wanted to name the dog after him, but Severus wasn't very used to sweet, so he wasn't sure how to respond to that. As a result, he settled for, "We'll talk about that later. And… name the dog whatever you want. But I don't think he wants to be named after me."

Still a little hurt, Kim figured that was the closest thing Severus was able to get to apologizing. It was nice, actually, even though he didn't admit that he shouldn't have minded that people thought she was his daughter. She sat up and smiled. "I think he's magic. So maybe he needs a better name. We'll see."

* * *

Kim was hoping to go back to Spinner's End, sleep the troubles of the day away, and harass Severus about when they were going to see Remus in the morning, but she had another curve ball thrown at her. She stood in front of the room that she slept in last time she was here. "Where's the door?"

Severus blinked as if he was shocked that she would ask. "What? Did you think we forgot about Black's trial and your punishment? And I know you wrote to Weasley asking about him."

Kim glowered. Well that explained why neither Ron nor Ginny answered. She should've thought to write to Hermione about it instead of asking for help with the DADA summer assignment. "Oh… when can I have it back?"

Severus was silent for a while. He knew he had to tell her about Black's escape, but he feared she would go looking for him. The traitor didn't have to be on his best behavior in hopes of freedom now. "Black escaped. Since you've proven that you can't be trusted, you won't get your door until he is captured. You will be allowed to sleep at the school now, but only because there will be extra security. But if you are out so much as a minute after curfew, Kimberly, you _will _be homeschooled for the rest of the school year."

Kim really wished she had a door to slam in his face. He expected her to make good decisions but never let her make them! She wouldn't go after Padfoot! Unless he wrote to her again… Growling to herself, Kim spun around and stomped over to her bed to throw herself face first into it, not seeing Chicken Finger snapped at Severus's hands before trotting after her. This was turning to the worst summer in three years!

* * *

For some unknown reason, the dog hated Severus. It slept in the girl's bed, tangled in the blankets with Kimberly, and growled as if it wanted to kill him when he walked into her room early in the morning.

"Get up!" he snapped, wishing he had the heart to dump it at the closest pound. "I will not have you urinating in the house."

Kim blinked sleepily at him but turned over and ignored them. Lucky for her, the dog hopped out of the bed before Severus could yell at her to get up and take care of her pet. The dog glared at him and wouldn't take his eyes off him until they were outside.

With as much patience as he could muster, Severus read _The_ _Daily Prophet _while the dog did its business. The mutt definitely matched Kimberly's personality because it seemed overly proud of itself for urinating and defecating in Severus's backyard. He did a little victory lap when he was done and stop right in front of him, awaiting praise.

Severus rolled his eyes and lowered his newspaper, crying out in surprise when the dog snatched the newspaper out of his hands. It ran off to the other side of the lawn and started sniffing done the newspaper as if its life depended on it. "GET BACK HERE—"

Fed up, Severus shook his head and went back in the house, slamming the screen door behind him. He wasn't about to risk the dog being aggressive and losing a few fingers over a half truthful pile of papers. He didn't even know what to call the beast and was most certainly not going to call it Chicken Finger. Why couldn't Kimberly be a normal child with a normal pet?

* * *

As Kimberly got started on her cereal two hours later, she quickly started looking around to share it with that monster. "Where's Chicken Finger?"

Severus barely looked up from the book he was reading. "Outside. With my newspaper."

"For how long?!" Kim squeaked, rushing to the sliding door to let the dog in. "It's like a million degrees outside!"

"Hardly," Severus drawled as he went back to his book. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the dog slobbering all over his floor with bits of newspaper in his mouth. Great.

"Here you go, Boy." Kim knelt down with a bowl filled to the top with cold water. The dog carefully put a piece of the newspaper on the off-white tile floor before slurping all up.

"Severus, that was-that was horrible!" Kim reprimanded. "You can always get another paper. We can't get another Chicken Finger!"

"Thankfully." Severus didn't bother to look away from his book this time. Just a few more days. A few more days until the dog was Lupin's problem.

Kim glared at him but knew it was no use. Severus was going to be a grumpy old curmudgeon until the day he died. Frowning, she picked up the paper that Chicken Finger set aside. "Hey look! Ron's back from Egypt! Did I tell you he got me a Sneakoscope for my birthday? Then, I asked him to bring me a camel, but he sent me camel milk instead! It smelled so bad after being in the air and not refrigerated so long and—"

"And be careful taking things from that dog." Severus took a deep breath when Kimberly ignored him and threw her arms the beast. "If it bites you, I willhave it put down."

Kim scrunched up her nose at the thought. "He would never!"

* * *

Sirius didn't want to do this, but at dinner, Snivellus informed Kimmy that they would be going to live with Remus by the end of the week. Remus would recognize him in an instant. Despite the fact that he had no other choice, he felt at an all-time low, robbing Snape.

A few days later, while she was sleeping, Sirius took Kimmy's wand and put powerful Silencing Charms all over the house. Then, he flipped over all the bookshelves and took whatever Muggle Money he could find. If he made it look like a robbery, Kimmy would think her dog was kidnapped and wouldn't look all over town for him. He was smart enough not to take Wizarding money. If he did, it would have Sirius Black written all over it, and the aurors might connect that he was the dog on that boat.

Once he was done, he paused before taking off the Silencing Charms. He knelt over Kimmy's bed and kissed her forehead, still not trying to sound sad even though that she couldn't hear him. "I'll see you later, Kimmy. I just have to do a few things, before we can be a family again."

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Was Severus too soft in this chapter? O.0 I didn't see him as heartless enough to send Sirius to the pound, but I have a shelter dog with some problems, so maybe it's not as heartless as I think? Also, what do you think Kim should keep as Sirius's name Chicken Finger or Sever? Or something else? Please review!**


	3. The Talk

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Thank you TwoHeartedMarauder, Savita, Revelation Rebel, Emarye, and thosedarndursleys for reviewing!**

**A/N: TwoHeartedMarauder, I put in a scene for one of your past reviews!**

**A/N: So this is the Sex Talk chapter. I know I mention it a bit (with Aunt Marge and in the chapter), but there will be **_**NO**_** teen pregnancy in this series. I just wanted to make that clear. Kim has babies in her mid-twenties in this universe and will be in the last half of the sequel to this series. :)**

Chapter 3 The Talk

Remus was extremely worried when Kim and Severus were hours late, but he didn't expect Kim to come through the floo crying hysterically while trying to scream at Severus.

"But-but they could be torturing him!" she wailed. "You have to at least try to look for them!"

"The police are looking into it, but the dog most likely ran away, Kimberly!" Severus yelled in exasperation. "It was a stray, and the perpetrators left the door open. I can't have you searching around Spinner's End with Black on the loose!"

"Dog?" Remus squeaked. Was Sirius with them all this time? Surely not because they were still alive. It could just be a coincidence…

"PADFOOT WOULD'VE LET ME LOOK FOR CHICKEN FINGER!" Kim screamed. When she stomped into her room, she let out another scream when she realized there wasn't a door for her to slam. Like the last time she was at the cottage, she settled for storming into the next door bathroom and slamming that door.

"What-what is going on?" Remus asked, feeling a little light headed because he was so relieved, or because he tried to force himself to be relieved. If she named the dog Chicken Finger, it must've had curly brown hair. Sirius could only change into a black dog. It couldn't have been him.

Severus didn't reply at first and started looking around his kitchen. "Do you have anything for an excruciating headache? Like a guillotine?"

Remus feebly pointed at the cabinet under the skin. If Sirius was with them this past week, they wouldn't be alive. It was nothing to worry about. "So I'm assuming she isn't yelling at you over a stolen piece of fried meat."

Severus cast his eyes to the ceiling as he downed a mild pain potion. "Someone robbed my house while we were sleeping. Kimberly named a stray do 'Chicken Finger,' and in an extreme lapse of judgment, I let her keep it."

All he had to do was ask. _What did the dog look like?_ The question was burning in his throat. He wouldn't be blamed for this. Remus sighed, hoping he would have the courage to say something before the school year began. "Don't take it personally, Severus. Her heart is broken."

* * *

Kim only started talking to Severus again after he took her to a neighbor's house and asked them to look out for her dog. The icing was sealed on the cake when the old lady cooed over her and asked Severus how old his daughter was. She beamed when Severus forced himself to say, "She just turned thirteen."

And so, Kim soon found herself sitting at Remus's kitchen table, already uncomfortable because of his fidgeting and Severus's cold demeanor. This couldn't be good. She sat at the table and folded her hands. "Alright. It was me who left the kitchen window open last night."

"This is far from funny, Kimberly," Severus snapped. "This is a long overdue conversation."

"Severus, she's too young," Remus tried weakly, voice barely above a whisper.

Not bothering to look at him, Severus drawled, "Clearly she proved otherwise, Lupin. I found her at _his_ house when I picked her up."

"Is that true?" Remus asked. Kim flinched at how worried he sounded.

"Well…" Kim fiddled with her hands. There was no way out of this. Hopefully she wouldn't be too scarred for life. "I didn't kiss him though. Because Chicken Finger tried to bite him."

"And if the dog wasn't there?" Severus prompted. If that boy wasn't a Muggle… Merlin by the next time Kimberly saw him, he would nearly be of age by Wizarding standards.

Kim thinned her lips. What could she say? "He's the only one who's nice to me there. If I had Ron or Hermione or Ginny…"

"You can't possibly believe that is acceptable, trading sex for companionship!" Severus spat. He couldn't fathom how she could think that it was even remotely okay. And then to not think twice about continuing seeing the boy!

"We weren't having sex!" Kim squeaked as her eyes travelled to Remus for help. For some reason, Severus tended to think she did the craziest things. Last year he had her drug tested! Sure, she was possessed by an evil diary but that was beside the point!

Bright red, Remus tried to form words but could only stutter until he broke eye contact with her. "But you know it could've easily led up to that. What I'm concerned about is you being able to make the right decisions when we aren't around. It's part of growing up, sweetheart."

"I…" Kim squirmed in her seat, trying to remember a time when she made the right decision without Remus or Severus looming over her. Padfoot didn't count, since they didn't believe her.

"Fully intend to see your _friend_ next year?" Severus gritted his teeth when she remained silent. She could at least _try _to deny it! If only Petunia gave half a shit about the girl. That would make things so much easier. "Then you've made it very clear that its time we've talked to you about sex."

Even though she knew this was coming, Kim felt her eyes widened with unspeakable horror. She was going to have to hear all about sex from Severus Snape.

* * *

Because he was so worried about his father coming home early, Lucius paid little attention to Narcissa's sulkiness as they sat Draco down. Although it was strange… When he told her that Draco kissed that insufferable brat she was over the moon. Now, she was about as disappointed as Draco was when Abraxas got in an argument with the owner of Quality Quidditch Supplies, preventing him from getting a Firebolt. Shaking his head at the embarrassing memory, Lucius cleared his throat. "Draco, we need to talk."

Draco looked up in surprise from the old Herbology book he was reading in the parlor. "Yes, Father? Is it going to be long? Pansy's coming over in an hour."

_Hopefully not, _Lucius thought wearily. "A few months ago, Draco, I became aware of your… _romantic _relationship with Kimberly."

Out of the corner of his eye, Lucius saw Narcissa perk up and try to stifle a giggle while Draco turned pink, and his voice became squeaky. "Romantic? I haven't spoken to her since before the end of the school year! I don't like her like that, Father. Half the time, we aren't even friends."

"What?" Lucius was too used to people being too afraid of him to lie and therefore didn't understand what was going on. "She told me you kissed her! After you tried to save her from that monster!"

Shocked and mortified, Draco gaped in a very un-Malfoy-like way. "She-she _what? _I hugged her! That's it! Because everyone at school was saying she was brain dead!"

"So that-that little…" Lucius took a deep breath and closed his eyes to try to collect himself. She cost him his servant with a filthy lie! "Okay. So you don't have a girlfriend? Never mind then, Draco."

"Oh really?" Narcissa raised an eyebrow when Draco snapped his book shut and tried to run away. She wasn't blind, especially now that she knew Kim and Draco weren't together. "Because he and Pansy have been looking awfully cozy lately."

"They have?" Lucius asked excitedly. Finally! Pansy was much more suitable than that lying little halfblood. His own father would approve, and he wouldn't have to be embarrassed about his potentially ruined bloodline. He smiled smugly. "Well, we have nothing to worry about, Cissy. Pansy is an upstanding young lady."

Narcissa went rigid in a way that told Lucius he was going to need to sleep with one eye open for a while. "And Kim isn't? She's sweet—"

"Only around you," Lucius grumbled. "The whole reason we needed to talk to Draco was because I thought she was cheating on him! I heard at the Ministry that she got caught with a sixteen year old Muggle boy in her room."

"What?" Draco said loudly, not noticing his mother smirk at his concern.

Not really caring, Lucius shrugged. "His memory was modified. Rumor had it, he assaulted her, and she cursed him."

Narcissa shook her head. "That's not what Severus said. Not exactly. And I thought you were going to talk to him about respecting women, Lucius, not try to break your son's heart."

Lucius scoffed at her words. He wasn't trying to break Draco's heart. He was trying to make the boy see what kind of girl Potter was! She wasn't worth his time and never would be. "Draco knows how to treat a respectable girl like Pansy."

"What Draco should know is that a proper gentleman treats _all_ women respectably, no matter what he thinks of them." Narcissa folded her arms over her chest, daring Lucius to say otherwise. That pig Abraxas thought that women of lesser blood were disposable and used them as if they were. No son of hers was going to act like that. Ever.

_Shit! _Lucius thinned his lips. Why was Narcissa all of the sudden willing to have their bloodline thrown away? The girl wasn't _that_ special. Far from it, in his opinion. But he couldn't disagree with her, because that would mean telling Draco that it's okay to treat girls like crap. If only Draco saw the girl for what she was. Dirt beneath his shoe. "Well… Draco, eh… As you grow older, you'll have certain… _needs _and—"

"Oh Merlin!" Draco shot out of his seat and put his hands over his ears. "Please don't finish that sentence!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Lucius could see Narcissa giving him a look that said, _Yes, don't finish that sentence. See what happens. _He gulped. "What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't try pressure anyone into doing something they aren't comfortable with. You can't get everything the second you want it, especially sex."

_"And?"_ Narcissa asked expectantly.

_And? _Lucius wondered. What more was there? Draco wasn't an animal who was going to pounce on Pansy, or any girl, the moment he had desires. He didn't think he had to be so explicit. "And… Always open the door for them?"

Narcissa threw her hands up in the air. "Do you want our son to get someone pregnant before marriage? Or have his life ruined from disease? I also think he should know about charms that specifically prevent oral diseases."

Draco frowned. "Oral diseases? Like from kissing?"

Lucius put his face in his hands while Narcissa patiently waited for him to continue. If Narcissa was so picky, she should tell him damn it! It was bad enough she insisted on being here. Sure, this conversation would've already been over if she wasn't, but that was beside the point! Now he was going to have to explain oral sex to Draco with his Mummy watching.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kim wasn't having a much better experience. It was much worse actually. Severus had pictures. _Moving _pictures. She never thought about what it would be like to _have_ a baby and found herself unconsciously crossing her legs as Severus lectured on while Remus seemed ready to be sick.

"…and if you have a child before your body is ready—"

"Severus!" Remus pleaded, face more pale than usual. "I-I think she knows about the uh, consequences, as you've so delicately shown them. What I was worried about was her making mature decisions."

_I'm right here! _Kim yelled in her head. She figured it was best not to talk again since it might lead to Severus bringing out even _more_ pictures. It wasn't like she was a baby. Or going to have them… Severus was so gross.

"You heard her at the beginning, Lupin!" Severus snapped. "She obviously can't."

"Hey!" What a jerk! First he shows her the baby crowning and now this! Kim pounded her fist on the table. "Just because you don't like him doesn't mean Stanley isn't nice! We play football and eat pizza and throw eggs at the neighbors! You only saw him _twice_. And-and I _like_ him." She pointed at the picture. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to have a baby or _genital warts_, Severus."

Remus bit his lip as Severus stared that stare that traumatized puppies and small children. Kim only stared coolly back at him. Either they were going to start fighting or not speak to each other for several days unless he intervened. "You-you have to understand that he is significantly older than you—"

"So?" Kim said defensively.

"So?" Severus repeated so loudly that neither of them heard Remus groan. "So he is manipulating you, Kimberly. You were just too dazzled to see it because he was paying attention to you. Is that what's going to happen from now on? A boy calls you pretty, and he's rewarded with a trip to your bedroom?"

"That's not how it happened!" Kim shouted, even though it sort of was. She didn't _know_ that at the time though. The way Severus said it made it sound like she did. In her eyes, it was all a misunderstanding that went horribly wrong when she panicked.

Exasperated, Remus held up a hand to stop Severus from responding. "Severus, please. Kim, I know you didn't think it was, but he probably… took it as an invitation when you said he could go in your room. I'm not saying it was right. It was far from it, actually, and I don't entirely understand why you forgave him so easily. There are certain… _boundaries _that you need to uphold until you are ready for, ah, certain sexual activities."

Severus rolled his eyes as Remus fumbled over the words. And what did he mean by ready? Didn't they already establish that the girl wasn't capable of _knowing_ what she was ready for? The point of this conversation was scaring her into abstaining from sex as long as possible. "Which you've proven isn't any time soon."

"Did I say it was?" Kim spat, sick of Severus making all these assumptions. "You must really think the worst of me—"

"Don't talk to me like that!" Severus was starting to wish he hadn't taken away her door. Then he could send her to her room and not hear from her for a while. "I think you aren't good at making decisions on your own and think you can handle far more than you can—"

"Because I'm arrogant, just like my father!" Kim mimicked obnoxiously while poor Remus was practically cowering in his seat. Severus was surely going to explode.

Severus narrowed his eyes. This was only going to lead to her rebelling and think he was a fool and that she could do whatever she wanted. Unless he made her feel guilty. "Of course you are! You are just like you're arrogant, pigheaded father, Kimberly. The only difference is that I care about whether or not you spend your life miserably and self-destructively."

And it worked. The girl's eyes flitted away from him to stare vacantly past Lupin. "I like him. He made me feel… _special._ And I was lonely. But I won't let that get the best of me again."

Remus knew that this conversation was far from over, but if it continued anymore today, he was sure that Kim and Severus would wind up killing each other. "That's good." He dared to smile at Severus. "Because Neville wants to come over."

"LUPIN!"

* * *

While Kim tried to teach Neville how to play football outside, Remus was fighting his own mental battles. He was thirty three years old, for Merlin's sake. He shouldn't be afraid of a simple conversation.

"You know," Remus started. "I don't think Neville feels that way about her."

"Not yet," Severus drawled from his spot at the window where he was watching their every move. He couldn't believe that Lupin actually invited Longbottom over. "And I wasn't done talking to her, Lupin."

_But I didn't want you two to hex each other into the oblivion, _Remus thought tiredly. Instead, he said, "We'll talk to her again later. There's only so much one can take, Severus."

Severus sneered at him. "The girl's a wild animal. This isn't the last we've heard of that Muggle."

"She may surprise you." Remus paused. It would be oh so easy to turn heel and head to his room, letting Severus continue with his stalking and having things stay exactly the same. He hesitated for half a beat morebefore saying, "Severus, I'm sorry."

"What?" Severus barely turned away from the window. "It's not that big of a deal, Lupin. She isn't heading back to Privet Drive for nearly eleven months."

Laughing nervously, Remus waved his hands, almost in surrender. "N-no… That's not what I meant. I meant… James was a bully, and Sirius was just as bad if not worse. I didn't like it but was afraid of losing my friends. I should've said something to them, at the very least, and I'm sorry."

Severus was silent for a while, and Remus thought he was going to act like he didn't hear him. Maybe that would've been less awkward. Remus wasn't entirely sure. Finally, he said something. "Did you know?"

"Know what?" Remus dared to ask, even though he knew what Severus was talking about. Didn't he realize what would happen if Remus did?

Gritting his teeth, Severus turned away from the window. "Did you know that Black and Potter were trying to kill me that full moon?"

"James didn't—" Remus shook his head. Severus was never going to believe that it was _all _Sirius. That would be like admitting that James had some good in him. "No, I didn't. I would never want to—Sirius, being Sirius, didn't realize that it would've been a death sentence for me too. Hell, I don't think he even thought much past you seeing me. He was stupid, when he wanted to be."

"He knew _exactly_ what he was doing," Severus growled, and given what ended up happened a few short years later, Remus couldn't really argue.

And so, he only shrugged. "I didn't speak to him for months after that. Until he drank so much he nearly died from alcohol poisoning. I forgave him, but I didn't want you dead, Severus."

Something flickered in Severus's eyes that Remus couldn't quiet read. Before he could try, the cold mask was back up, and he started heading back to his room. "Make sure Longbottom leaves at a reasonable hour."

Remus frowned as his door quietly shut. He supposed that was great progress for Severus Snape, despite the fact that he didn't exactly accept the apology. Well, he figured Severus must have, since he wasn't hexed, screamed at, or given a long speech about how spineless he was. Maybe eventually, he would be able to be called 'Remus' instead of 'Lupin.'

* * *

"What's that?" Kim asked nosily at breakfast the next day. She was just itching to lean over Remus's shoulder to take a peek at the letter he was reading over and over again, but she thought that would be mean, since Remus looked like he had seen a ghost. "Did someone die?"

As if lost, it took Remus a minute to realize she was talking to him. Quickly, he shook his head and stuffed the letter in his pocket. "No. I just…"

"Am being spineless as usual," Severus filled in for him after it became clear that Remus wasn't going to answer. To distract Kim, he handed her her Hogwarts letter. "And don't be a brat because you can't get it signed."

Kim blinked but settled for ripping open her letter instead of asking. She scanned through the papers until her eyes stopped where her "guardian's" signature was supposed to be. "Oh."

Severus raised his eyebrows as he watched her march over to the kitchen and start riffling through the drawers. That went a lot better than he expected. He predicted there would at least be some shouting. He thinned his lips when he saw her take out a quill. "Kimberly, you do realize that magic can detect forgeries."

Kim froze with the quill in her hand and snuck a glance at Remus. Luckily, he was still in Lala Land about his letter. "But I'm really good at it!'

"_Magic,_ Kimberly," Severus repeated as he snatched the quill out of her hand. "And do you think you can be trusted with Hogsmeade privileges with Black on the loose?"

Sighing dramatically, Kim threw herself back into her seat. She probably would be more upset, once she realized what was _in_ Hogsmeade exactly. For now, she would settle for pouting. "Yes!"

Before Severus could answer, the floo lit up as Albus graced them with his presence. As usual, his eyes were twinkling. "Remus, my boy! After weeks of arguing, I finally got permission from Cornelius! I'd like to talk to you, if you don't mind."

Because Professor Dumbledore's arrival only annoyed Severus further, Kim grinned. "Professor Dumbledore!"

Albus chuckled. "How has your summer been so far, Kim? I see Severus has finally given you your school letter."

"So she can purchase her books today." It had been over a year now, but Severus still didn't forgive the old goat about the Dursleys. And he probably wouldn't until Albus agreed that he was in the wrong. "We'll be leaving now."

Kim gestured to her half eaten breakfast like she thought Severus was being beyond unreasonable. But Severus only folded his arms over his chest impatiently, so she waved to Professor Dumbledore and scurried off to the bathroom to brush her teeth, calling out behind her, "But we have to stop by your house to see if that old lady saw Chicken Finger!"

"Chicken Finger?" Albus asked conversationally.

Remus only answered when it was clear that Severus wasn't going to. "She found a stray at the Dursleys, but it ran away after Severus was robbed."

"You were robbed Severus?" Albus sounded suspicious, but Severus didn't want to talk about Black with him. Especially since he knew what the headmaster was going to ask Lupin.

Tempted to pound on the door to tell Kimberly to hurry up, Severus reluctantly said, "By Muggles. They trashed the place, took a couple hundred pounds, and left while we were sleeping."

"And you didn't hear a sound?" Albus raised his eyebrows as Kim finally emerged from the bathroom. "Severus, I never knew you to be a sound sleeper."

With a James Potter-like evil glint in her eye, Kim smirked. "Why were you guys sleeping together?"

Growling, Severus grabbed Kim by her shoulders and started steering her towards the floo. "Keep making sex jokes, and we'll continue our conversation from the yesterday."

Once they were gone, Albus laughed warmly and sat next to Remus at the kitchen table. "He loves her dearly."

Remus raised his eyebrows and sent the dishes to the sink with a flick of his wand. "If he heard you say that, he would hex you into next week."

"Yes. Severus was always strange like that…" Albus leaned forward and folded his hands over the table. "But I don't think he would object to you teaching the subject he's always coveted. Because he knows that you possess knowledge about Sirius Black that could keep him out of the castle."

"Oh." Remus fidgeted guiltily in his seat. _Like how he can turn into a dog? _He wasn't sure if he should tell Albus or Severus first. He didn't want to disappoint Albus, but he didn't want to face Severus's wrath either, especially if Kim's dog doesn't have curly brown hair.

Albus expected something more than 'Oh' and found himself waiting. When it clear that Remus was thinking about something else, he spoke up again. "Are you accepting my offer, Remus?"

Remus blinked and then shook himself back into reality. "Sir, I-I can't endanger the students like that. It's bad enough that I did as a student. And there's the fact that I'm registered. Quite a few people are aware that I'm…"

Knowing he had him, Albus pressed his lips together to hide his smile. "There is a potion. It's fairly new. That is, it hasn't been known to the _public_ very long. It will allow you to keep your mind during the moon. I'm fairly certain Severus wouldn't mind brewing it."

_I don't deserve it_, Remus thought, but this was a chance to try living a normal life. At least, normal meaning that he didn't have to worry about hurting anyone. But the reason he was given this job was because he knew Sirius like the back of his hand. That meant that he had to reveal how he had betrayed Dumbledore's trust all those years ago. "I'm not sure if I'm comfortable, sir."

"Think about it," Albus insisted. "But if you look back, you'll notice that these past two years, you've done an excellent job. And I know there's a difference from substituting for a few months and actually holding the position, but I think you'll be surprised by the miniscule number of students who would be bothered by your lycanthropy."

_First sign of trouble, and I'm telling, _Remus swore to himself. He could practically feel Severus calling him spineless again. "Yes-yes, I suppose."

"Something else is bothering you?" Somehow, Albus knew, always knew, but the memories of a big black dog weren't the only ones that were haunting him. The letter in his pocket made Remus want to curl up and hide under his bed for about a hundred years.

Not looking Albus in the eye, Remus shrugged. "He's written to me. It sounds like Sirius wrote to him when he was with Mad-Eye."

For once, Albus looked thrown off, like he had no idea what to do. His eyes widened, and he leaned back in his chair, as if he could distance himself from the problem. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know." As soon as the words tumbled out of his mouth, Remus felt ashamed. For him that was usually code for 'nothing until it blows up in my face.' But what else could he do? He was a werewolf, meaning he was powerless.

* * *

If there was one thing Severus learned from Lupin was that he could get more out of the girl if he either played on her ego or pumped her full of sweets. He wasn't in the mood to see her head explode today, so they settled for ice cream after they finished with their shopping.

He scowled as she practically smashed the strawberry ice cream into her face. "It isn't going to run away, Kimberly."

Considering the fact that it was nearly lunch time, Kim thought it might since Severus always insisted that she eat healthily. Ice cream for lunch was far from healthy by Severus Snape standards. She wrinkled her nose and grabbed a napkin. "It could to! Fred and George charmed stinky cheese to jump in Percy's hair once."

"I'm sure they did." Hopefully those two abominations won't bother with his class after they take their OWLs. Severus wouldn't be surprised if they took his class all the way to NEWT level just to spite him. However, he had more pressing problems than the Weasley twins. "I need to ask you something."

"Is it gross?" Kim asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.

Severus glared at her. If she had spent the summer being a lone barbarian like she always did, they wouldn't have had to scar her for life! "No. I want to know if you heard or saw anything the night the house was robbed."

"Did someone find…?" Kim clamped her mouth shut when she realized what he was implying. Even if it was Padfoot, she would never in a million years let him take her dog. "It wasn't Padfoot, Severus. I wouldn't let him do that! He broke the binding on my favorite book! The one with the strawberry shortcake recipe. Mrs. Malfoy said we could make it the next time she came over."

Severus tensed. That was the only book he kept of his mother's. His grandmother took him to buy it for her shortly before she died. He was about five and had scribbled 'Happy Birthday' in bright blue letters on the inside of the cover. "You should ask before snooping through other people's belongings."

Kim threw her hands in the air, freezing when the first scoop on her ice cream cone flew into some younger girl's hair. The girl screamed, and Kim could see Daphne Greengrass glaring at her out of the corner of her eye. Great. She slowly lowered her arms before speaking again. "You snoop through my letters! And I know you snoop in my room! Ron told me to write a fake diary saying that Percy kissed me."

Severus twitched. Good thing she didn't because he would have called the authorities. That would've been embarrassing. "Because you seem to enjoy conversing with a deranged criminal in your spare time, Kimberly."

"And you hang out with Draco's creepy dad!" she said rudely. "Who never got me that kitten by the way."

Getting irritated, Severus clenched his jaw and his fists. Only a child would be able to forgive Lucius so easily. He hadn't spoken to him since their little encounter before school let out. He probably should but couldn't force himself to do it. "So this wasn't some plan for you to get Black some money for food that went horribly wrong?"

"No!" Kim whined as if Severus had been interrogating her for an hour instead of a few minutes. "Just because he's my friend doesn't mean I'd let him wreck your house! They messed up all your books and-and if it was Padfoot, I'd, I don't know, wake you up so he runs away or something!"

If his heart was like Lupin's, meaning not made of frozen stone, Severus figured he would've been touched in some bizarre way. Well, he wasn't Lupin, so it didn't matter that the brat cared enough about him to defend his precious books. Instead, he grumbled, "I fixed them with magic, brat, don't worry about it… And Black is not your friend!"

* * *

Sirius felt like his muscles were ready to wear into nothing by the time he finally reached Hogsmeade. All he wanted was a nice warm bed accompanied by a hot dinner… Maybe he could find a hot dinner in a dumpster or something.

"Please! Please! I don't know what you're talking about!"

He heard the pathetic pleading as he was trotting through Hogsmeade as Padfoot and was tempted to ignore it. What good would an exhausted dog do?

But when he heard the man whimpering, he couldn't help but remember the days in first year when Lucius Malfoy would pick on Remus and Frank Longbottom. Time to kick some ass! Or well, bite. Gross. Hopefully he'd only have to growl…

"Don't know what I'm talking about?" the assailant snarled. "You took all the credit for my brother's work and wiped his memory clean! He's stuck in St. Mungo's because of you!"

The victim, who was on the ground and near tears, shook his head frantically. "I-I don't know what you're talking about. I'm rather good at memory charms, actually."

"Shut up, Lockhart!" The assailant, who was big enough to last in a fist fight with Hagrid, sent a Stinging Hex to the pathetic, sniveling heap that was Lockhart. "But you didn't know he had brain tumor, did you? You turned his brain to mush!"

Sirius decided to intervene when Lockhart started full on crying and covered his face as the burly man lifted his wand arm again. Maybe the guy didn't deserve it, but he felt kind of bad just leaving him there. He let out a loud, angry bark to make his presence known.

The man turned around and laughed in surprise. "What's this, Lockhart? You've got a guard dog? Well I'll—Ah!"

In a flash, Sirius jumped up and bit the man's arm, only letting go when he kicked him in the ribs. He yelped and flung himself back, growling at the man to stay away.

But the man didn't seem to care much for a skinny, flea bitten mutt. Rubbing at his bleeding arm, his meaty head swung back and forth, looking for Lockhart. The cowering man was nowhere to be found.

"Son of a bitch," the man mumbled as he stormed off to finish what he started.

Thinking that was the end of that, Sirius gingerly walked over to the dumpster in search of some food when the other man, Lockhart popped up from behind a pile of boxes like all was right with the world. Again, Sirius yelped and jumped back, not sure if he should trust the guy. The other man made him sound like a monster, but from the looks of things, Sirius wasn't sure if Lockhart could charm a jar open, let alone wipe someone's memory.

"Hello." Lockhart crawled out of the boxes, reminding Sirius of a small child who was ending a game of hide-and-seek. "My fans get a little overexcited sometimes."

_Fans? _Sirius thought. The only thing that guy was a fan of was the idea of bashing Lockhart's head in. He supposed he should act friendly, however. It could earn him a meal and if he was lucky, a bath. Wagging his tail, Sirius barked happily.

Taking a quick look to make sure the man was really gone, Lockhart slowly got up. "Hmmm… I could use the extra help." He rubbed at his chin as if deep in thought. Being the Hogwarts Emergency Enforcement Officer was a big responsibility. "What with Black on the loose and all… How'd you like to be my assistant? You can look on the grounds while I'm patrolling the castle."

Sirius cocked his head to the side, having no idea what he was talking about. The words 'grounds' and 'castle' sparked his interest though. That meant he would never be far from Pettigrew. He ran over and licked Lockhart's hand to try to say he was a good, loyal, dog.

Lockhart clapped his hands together. "Excellent! I shall call you…" Sirius kneaded his paws in the dirt, trying to figure out a way to say _Padfoot _without actually saying it or writing it. "Pawprint! Wonderful! My fans will love you!"

Sirius bowed his head, wishing he could frown. Close enough. And it was much better than what Kimmy was coming up with. Now he was one step closer to sinking his teeth into that rat.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! So far it's one vote for Sever, one vote for Chicken Finger, and one for Snuffles! :0 Please review!**


	4. The Train Ride

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Thank you Guest, Lizzie Salvatore, and Emarye for reviewing!**

**Emarye: I suppose not, but you gave me an idea! :) But Sirius won't be called Snuffles for a few chapters from now! And for the next chapter, you might need your "Shield Hats" more for Kim vs Pansy! :)**

Chapter 4 The Train Ride

When Ron and Hermione gave up on arguing about Hermione's new cat Crookshanks and started yammering about Hogsmeade, Kim found herself pouting and wishing she had put up more of a fight when Severus said she couldn't go. Ron made it sound like there was candy within every step, and Hermione made it sound like there was an angry ghost to see around every corner. And Neville said there was a garden with magical plants that weren't even in Sprout's greenhouses!

Kim groaned and put her face in her hands. "You guys gotta help me get in! I'll be so lonely without you!"

"Hey!" Ginny piped in. "What am I? Chopped liver?"

Ron pretended to look her up and down. "More like troll bogeys."

Ginny whacked him on the back of the head without hesitation. "_Anyway, _you'll be with me and Colin. And we have made a new friend named Luna at the end of last term."

Ron snorted. "You mean Looney Lovegood."

"Honestly Ronald," Hermione scolded before Ginny could hit him again. "And Kim shouldn't be out there with Black on the loose."

Annoyed, Kim threw her hands in the air. "So what? You're saying I can't be trusted too. Because—"

"No. I'm saying Black can't be trusted!" Hermione hissed. "You don't know what he's capable of! No one does!"

"Whatever." Kim went back to sulking, wishing Hermione was on her side. Or that she was as clever as the other girl so she could find a way to get into Hogsmeade herself. If only Severus wasn't always up her butt. How was she supposed to break the rules with him constantly waiting for her to break the rules?

"I'll bring you back some herbs," Neville said to try to stop her pouting. "Maybe Professor Sprout will let us make our own garden."

"And Hermione and I will bring you back as many sweets as we can carry. Right Hermione?" Ron elbowed her in the ribs until she swatted him away and nodded reluctantly. "See? You won't miss anything."

Kim glared at him and his false smile. Since when was he on Hermione's side? He thought Padfoot was cool first year too! "A garden and candy isn't like being there!" She narrowed her eyes as Ron shrugged and looked at his feet. He wouldn't change his mind like this out of the blue. "Did Severus say anything to you?"

Ron didn't move, but Ginny decided to be brave and answer for him. When Kim's dark eyes flitted to her, she didn't feel so brave anymore but still ploughed on. "He-he told us that Black killed a street full of people as he killed one of his best friends. That he blew them all up! Snape then told us that he wanted to kill you as revenge for stopping You-Know-Who. And he said that if you went to Hogsmeade, a bunch of people would get blown up for trying to stop Black from taking you like before! He said that all was found of his friend was a finger."

Kim felt her jaw drop while Neville cowered slightly at the description and Hermione folded her arms over her chest as if she knew all along. Severus had no right to go behind her back and scare the crap out of her friends like that! She wasn't a baby! She could take care of herself!

Feeling betrayed, Kim rose from her seat. "I have to go to the bathroom. And I'll be a while."

Kim could practically feel Hermione rolling her eyes as she slammed the compartment door behind her. She was only more infuriated when she heard Hermione say, "Why does she always pretend she has to poop when she wants no one to follow her?"

Because then no one will follow her that's why! Did Severus think she wouldn't find out? He probably didn't care. Sometimes she couldn't stand that he was perfectly okay with being a royal jerk all the time. She'd find a way to Hogsmeade and Padfoot and be perfectly fine. That'll show him.

At the irritating sound of giggling, Kim stopped in her tracks and looked around. She could tell it was Pansy Parkinson from all the times she had laughed at her and her friends. Great. But when Kim looked in the compartment window to see what all the giggling was about, her heart sunk.

Parkinson wasn't with Daphne Greengrass or Millicent Bulstrode and laughing over something stupid like what another girl was wearing. She was alone, with Draco.

She was giggling so much because he was kissing her jawline right before kissing her on the lips and was so giddy that she couldn't contain herself. Kim wanted to be sick.

Although it was tempting to throw her shoe at the window, Kim settled for backing away and running back to her compartment. She didn't want to think about why that made her so uneasy. Draco could kiss whoever he wanted. She could care less.

After returning only a few minutes later, Hermione was rather smug, thinking that Kim had quickly seen that she was being a brat. But when she saw how upset her friend was, she instantly softened. "What happened?"

Kim shrugged, not wanting to admit why she was so hurt. "I don't want to talk about it."

Ron opened his mouth to say something that would probably have led to Hermione not talking to him for a while, but before he could, the lights flickered out.

* * *

Sirius knew it was a bad idea to come on the train with Lockhart, especially since Kimmy would recognize him, but he couldn't help it. He just wanted to get a tiny glimpse of his goddaughter while Lockhart did his "patrol" of the train, which was simply him smiling and acting embarrassed while young girls asked for his autograph. Sirius figured he'd sneak one quick peek to see what she was up to and then head back to the compartment that Lockhart reserved for himself. He didn't think much of it until the train came screeching to a halt. The sudden coldness made him howl with horror. No… They wouldn't be allowed on a train full of kids. Dumbledore wouldn't possibly allow it!

Feeling a bit like a coward, Sirius ran as far as he could from the cold, but no matter where he turned he ran into those-those _creatures._ Did they know he could turn into a dog? They couldn't possibly know. From the time he spent with Lockhart, Sirius knew that the silly man fancied himself a hero. He would've already turned him in.

Speaking of Lockhart, Sirius soon found him trying to defending some students as he was running around the train as fast as his four legs would take him. He was tempted to find the nearest exit and try to run back to Hogsmeade, but then he caught a whiff of Kimmy's scent.

What should he do? Lockhart couldn't even charm open a jar pickles without making a mess. Cautiously, Sirius crept into the compartment. When he saw that monster with its scaly hands on Kimmy, he didn't think twice about changing back into a human.

At least he was smart enough to back out of everyone's line of vision before doing so. There was a collective gasp when he charged back into the compartment, but Sirius was ready. Trying not to look at the dementor and remember James and Lily's wedding, he elbowed Lockhart in the ribs and stole his wand. _"Expecto Patronum!"_

Once the dementor was gone, the wand clattered to the floor, and he backed away. He wished he could've stayed to find out what happened, but he was too terrified of the consequences. Pushing Lockhart one last time, Sirius fled.

* * *

When Kim woke up at the Hospital Wing at school, Remus was already there. She wanted to know why she was so cold and felt so sick, but the first words to tumble out of her mouth were, "Who was that baby crying? And why was that woman screaming?"

"Woman? You-you heard someone screaming?" Even though he was already the color of sour milk, Remus seemed to pale even more. Kim hunched over in her bed when he started fretting. She shouldn't have asked.

"Well…" Kim shrugged. The last thing she remembered before the screaming and crying was a ghost dog, but maybe it wasn't a good idea to mention that either. "Remus? Did you know Neville promised to make a garden with me? I love gardening."

Remus blinked in surprise. "What?"

"Don't fall for it, Lupin. You know she's trying to change the subject." Kim heard Severus's booming voice before she saw him and shrunk back further. This night was just getting better and better.

"I-I know." Remus quickly (nervously) glanced at Severus before handing Kim a hot mug that was on the nightstand by her bed. "H-here. Drink this. It'll help."

Kim gripped the steaming mug, not sure if she could stomach it right now. She remembered a monster with scabby hands trying to yank her out of her seat. It was so cold that she thought it was going to burn her skin off. "What… what was that-that monster?"

"It was looking for Black." At the suspicion in Severus's voice, Kim could tell that he was already accusing her of letting Padfoot on the train. A little color returned to her cheeks. "Who was on the train by the way. Were you aware by any chance?"

Kim snapped her head away from the mug to finally meet Severus's eye. "No! And why don't you ask Ron and Ginny, Severus. Since they're already on your side!"

Severus thinned his lips and avoided Lupin's questioning stare. If anyone was going to endorse the girl getting into trouble, it was going to be Weasley. He only did what he had to do so he wouldn't be the one stuck rescuing her again. "We have every reason to believe that Black was trying to take you. He wouldn't be on the train or go near a dementor otherwise."

Kim put the cup back on the nightstand and shrugged. "You would know if he was trying to talk to me because you never let me have any privacy anyway."

Severus rolled his eyes at her resentful tone despite the fact that what she was saying was true. "Drink the hot chocolate, brat. It'll help with the coldness. If not, you'll be stuck in the Hospital Wing all night with Lupin coddling over you."

Remus waited for Severus to leave until he spoke to Kim about what she heard. He figured that she heard Lily screaming during the dementor attack, and talking to Kim about her death in front of him would only darken the storm cloud that was currently hanging over the potions master's head. "I have a surprise for you. But you'll have to wait for your first day of class tomorrow."

Still hurt by Severus's distrust towards her, Kim tried to act like she didn't care. Although it was rather hard to keep the curiosity out of her voice when she said, "I guess I'll see in the morning then."

Smiling sadly, Remus handed her the mug again. "Severus is worried, that's all. And when something's bothering him, he changes from a regular old bat to a full-fledged vampire."

"I know." But it cheered her up nonetheless, and Kim took a small sip of the hot chocolate and in seconds felt loads warmer. "But he doesn't trust me with _anything._"

Remus sat on the edge of the closest bed and thought how to respond to that. He didn't want to say that she hadn't proven herself trustworthy, even though it was true, because the reasons that she did certain things weren't necessarily for nefarious purposes. "Maybe if you can get through the school year without trouble, he'll ease up a bit."

"I didn't know Padfoot was on the train," she grumbled. "And he wasn't trying to take me. That monster was."

Remus shivered. She didn't know what 'taking her' meant for a dementor. "It was a dementor, what many say is one of the foulest creatures to inhabit this world. They… _feed_ off happiness and sort of drain your soul. It was making you relive your worst memory, sweetheart."

"Worst memory," Kim repeated slowly as she furrowed her brow. She couldn't remember ever hearing a woman scream like that, and she was never around a baby before. When it dawned on her, she nearly spilled the hot chocolate all over her lap. She shook her head. "I wouldn't remember that."

"I'm sorry," was all Remus felt he could say. He couldn't deny that it was Lily screaming, no matter how much he wished it wasn't true. He thought he could do it, but the thought of saying, _You heard your mother right before she died,_ made his throat constrict.

Again, Kim shook her head, trying to convince herself. Her eyes stung, and her vision started to blur. "I wouldn't remember that!"

Sighing sadly, Remus walked over to her bed and gave her a hug, but Kim refused to let the tears fall out. Not until he left.

* * *

When Kim had fall asleep, or at least had pretended to fall asleep, Remus snuck over to Dumbledore's office where he was sure Severus was having some sort of fit. Remus wasn't sure if Severus would be complaining about Sirius or the dementors or both, however. He entered to find that the topic of the dementors had won out, but not for long.

"If they thought Black was on the train, why didn't they have aurors look?" Severus barked. "They may be incompetent, but at least they can _control _themselves around children."

"I was unaware—" Albus tried.

"Do you realized what could have happened if Black wasn't after her as well?" Severus snarled. "It wasn't just feeding off her, Albus. It was trying to pick her up!"

Remus had to bite his tongue to keep from saying that Sirius didn't _need_ to prevent Kim from being Kissed or badly hurt in order to kill her. So much didn't fit, but he was afraid of the consequences of believing Sirius if he really was a Death Eater. Severus was still ranting by the time Remus managed to force himself back into reality.

"…Every child on that train was a sitting duck!" he spat. "Is this what it's going to be like until Black is captured? Are you going to ignore it until someone _does_ get Kissed? They won't be able to resist Quidditch games."

"I will tell Cornelius to send them away during matches," Albus said quietly. "However, after curfew, they will be crucial in searching the grounds at night."

Severus didn't respond to that. Theoretically, that wouldn't be a problem since the students would be indoors. However, he knew of a few students who wouldn't think twice about being out after curfew.

"The point is that she's okay. And I know you won't like me saying this, Severus, but we can thank Sirius for that, no matter what his intentions were." Remus was tempted to grin when Severus scoffed and glared at the ceiling. It almost reminded him of a certain little brat who was without a doubt going to torture Severus during Hogsmeade weekends.

"Better than okay, actually," Remus went on, although the conversation was going to turn Severus from agitated and tense to rigid and cold. "She-she didn't have any accident magic after I explained to her who the screaming woman was."

Remus had about a fraction of a second to notice Severus's eyes widen before he turned heel and left. He had expected the other man to become cold and silent, not completely shut down. This was going to make the rest of the beginning of the school year awkward… Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything.

"Excellent my boy!" Albus exclaimed, almost desperately grasping onto something to be happy about. "Hopefully she'll completely grow out of it by the end of fourth year!"

"Hopefully," Remus muttered, feeling terribly guilty. The only person he should've told was Madam Pomfrey. She would've passed it on to the rest of the staff. Then Severus wouldn't undoubtedly be plunging into a depression. "That would be nice."

* * *

Because she didn't know that everyone knew she fainted, Kim didn't feel funny about going to breakfast the next day until she was on her way with Hermione, who was running late after having to ask Professor McGonagall about something. The laugh from Millicent Bulstrode was the first that she noticed, mostly since it was so loud and deep that it made her jump. That only made the bitch laugh harder.

"Just ignore them," Hermione said as she grabbed Kim by her shoulder and steered her towards the Great Hall doors. "They're stupid."

"_Them?_" How many people were laughing at her?! And why? Kim usually forced herself to be angry instead of hurt when people laughed at her, but this time, it caught her off guard, and she had no idea why they were laughing.

"No one important," Hermione insisted as they walked to the Gryffindor table.

Kim wished she could believe her as the laughter grew from the Slytherin table. She glanced at Severus's usual seat, but he wasn't there. Pansy Parkinson distracted her before she could fully notice Remus.

"Potter! Watch out! I think I see a dementor!" Pansy declared as loudly as she could so as many students as possible could hear without a teacher like McGonagall being able to. Kim turned around to see her do a dramatic imitation of a swoon. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head as she put a hand over her forehead and pretended to collapse.

Normally, Kim would've thrown something, like a few plates, when the Slytherin table erupted in loud laughter, but when she saw Draco, her mouth ran dry. He was laughing just as hard, if not harder than everyone else.

She wasn't even able to get some smug satisfaction when Fred and George levitated pitchers of pumpkin juice to dump on all the heads. She only numbly took her schedule from them and half listened to Ron interrogate Hermione about her overbooked time table.

It wasn't until after classes ended that she was able to force her hurt into anger and seek revenge. Pansy Parkinson was going to pay.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! We'll see Kim's first day of class before Miss Parkinson has to pay! Poor girl. :'( Kim's first act of revenge will won't be her last! Should Remus apologize to Severus? I'm not sure. They both seem like they'd try to ignore something like that until the problem went away… Please review!**


	5. The First Day of School

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Thank you Ceizzy and Kaylee13133 for reviewing!**

**Kaylee13133: He's just really likes Pansy! You'll see more in this chapter.**

**Ceizzy: He'll realize that later! Hopefully. :) Kim doesn't help matters in this chapter!**

Chapter 5 The First Day of School

Kim, being Kim, felt better when she volunteered to help Hagrid out with his first lesson, especially since she succeeded in the hardest part first. She was as much, if not more so, as proud of herself as Buckbeak was of himself.

But the other students weren't so proud. Ron and Hermione were the only ones who were also willing to participate, and none of the Slytherins were even listening. Scratch that. Blaise Zabini seemed genuinely interested, but like with everything else, he kept his distance. He never had a problem with doing something outside of his group of friends but always kept icily silent. Kim found him fascinating as she watched him out of the corner of her eye. The only thing that distracted her was Pansy Parkinson's squawk-like laughter when Draco whispered something in her ear.

"I can do it, Hagrid," Kim announced arrogantly when he was looking for a volunteer to pet Buckbeak. She tried not to pout when Hagrid looked nervously between her and the hippogriff before finally agreeing. She may be "bigheaded" as Severus put it, but that didn't mean was going to disrespect Buckbeak and lose an eye or something.

"Hippogriffs… ter proud creatures, they are," Hagrid lectured, trying not to look at the Slytherins who were huddled together and whispering to each other. Kim would have to teach him a thing or two about screaming in people's faces. "You've got to let 'im make the first move. And try not ter blink."

Kim grinned. "Not to worry, Hagrid! If anyone's going to be able to do it, it's going to be me." She heard Hermione snort in the background but choose to ignore it.

Almost immediately, Draco's head popped out from the huddle. He sounded like he couldn't believe his ears. "You are seriously going to let _her_ face the Hippogriff?"

Pansy's head popped out next as the Slytherins finally separated from their huddle. "Yeah. None of us want to see her faint _again._"

Kim stuck her nose in the air, pretending not to hear the hurtful snickers as Hagrid stumbled over his words, not sure what to do his first day on the job. "Not to worry, Hagrid. _I_ know better than _them._"

Hopefully everyone else thought she was being cool as she walked closer to the paddock with Hagrid because Kim wanted to reduce herself to a puddle of tears when the laughing didn't cease and only got louder. At least it was a little easier than it was at breakfast.

"Remember ter maintain eye contact," Hagrid warned as he let Buckbeak out. "And keep bowed until he return's the gestur'."

Kim bowed for what felt like forever, but like a lot of things, the Buckbeak wasn't sure if he liked her. He ran his hoof through the dirt and kept his orange eyes on her. Kim wondered if it was appropriate to smile. Maybe not since monkeys sometimes smiled for different reasons than humans. Finally, after Kim started feeling achy after bowing like that for so long, Buckbeak huffed in approval and bowed back.

"Go on now," Hagrid said excitedky, gesturing for her to get closer to the hippogriff. "Yeh can pet 'im now."

Kim grinning and slowly walked over to Buckbeak, trying not to notice that there was more of shocked gasp from the crowd than applause. She was fully capable! More so than these scaredy cats anyway.

Slowly, she pet Buckbeak like she did the first time she met Chicken Finger, and he reacted the same way, closing his eyes and leaning into her hand. He was just as nice as a dog, only a bit smarter. Instead of licking her face, he only wanted a formal greeting that's all.

"Alrigh'. Now yeh can climb on his back," Hagrid coaxed. Kim tensed for a split second before listening since she didn't want to ruin his first class. Were hippogriff's like horses? Could he kick his back legs up and send her flying like in Dudley's cartoons?

Kim didn't hear what Hagrid yelled before he slapped Buckbeak's butt and sent them flying through the air, but she couldn't help but cry out as they zipped away. The wind whipped her hair all over the place until she shook it from her face. Flying was wild and crazy and terrifying all at the same time. Nothing like a broom. And Kim actually preferred this. Feeling like a daredevil, she pumped her fists in the air and cheered as they soared over the tries. She couldn't help but feel a little put out as they headed towards the ground. That was the most fun she had in a while.

"Great job!" Hagrid roared, and Kim beamed, glad Severus wasn't around to say her head was going explode. Hey, there was nothing wrong with being proud of yourself for doing a _great_ job as Hagrid put it. Severus didn't know what he was talking about. She was _great, _and that's all there was to it.

Everyone else seemed to be getting the hang of things too when they were brave enough to try out the hippogriffs after they saw she wasn't maimed to death. Neville was still a teensy bit afraid, but Kim was sure he would eventually earn a return bow from his hippogriff. By the end of class, Draco, of course, had to ruin what a great first day of school the day was turning into.

He had this look on his face that Kim couldn't quiet place. He looked… smug. Sort of. With every step he took towards Buckbeak, his eyes darted to Pansy to make sure she was still watching him. Kim was too jealous to realize what was happening until it was too late.

Luckily Hagrid wasn't the least bit jealous of Pansy Parkinson and managed to wrestle Buckbeak away before Draco could be totally trampled. Kim covered her mouth when she saw the blood on his arm. What did he plan on doing? Hopping on the hippogriff like he was some kind of macho bull rider?

Hagrid picked Draco up as if he were a doll and started leaving. "Class dismissed!"

"I'm dying!" Draco whimpered. "My arm's been ripped off! That bloody beast killed me!"

"It's-it's jus' a scratch!" Hagrid tried, but it was no use. After they were gone, the class immediately interrupted into an argument.

"That-that oaf of a man should be fired!" Pansy sobbed, tears gushing out of her eyes so fast that Kim was sure she couldn't see. An evil part of her wanted to smile at the fact that she was crying so hard. She doubted the other girl's words held any truth. "No! Better yet! _Arrested!_"

"It's Malfoy's bloody fault!" Ron hollered and pointed to Crabbe, who instantly tried to be threatening by flexing his muscles. "I wouldn't charge towards a wild animal like _that_, let alone something Hagrid _told_ us to be cautious with!"

"He was too busy showing off!" Lavender Brown said cattily. "Like a pea_cock_."

"Why you…"

"Funny aren't they?" Blaise Zabini whispered. Kim strained her ears and tried to drown out the squabbling. They weren't even looking at each other, both staring straight ahead. "But after a while, it gets a little boring. Don't you think?"

Kim narrowed her eyes as Pansy continued to blubber and even stomped her feet. "Sometimes. When she doesn't make me angry."

Out of the corner of her eye, Kim saw Zabini frown. "If you keep your distance, you won't wind up like them."

Kim didn't respond to that. They simply watched in silence until their friends gave up on the fight and started to leave. She had a vague idea what Blaise was saying, but by dinner, she couldn't help it. When Pansy wasn't whining about Draco, she was distracting herself by making fun of Kim. She had to fight back. Even if it was petty.

* * *

After hearing about Kimberly hearing Lily's death, Severus just wanted to get through the week without incident and spend the weekend drinking the memory away. However, Kimberly, being barbaric brat she was, had to ruin it by the end dinner of the first day of school.

He was called to Dumbledore's office, not on her behalf, but on Miss Parkinson's. By the look on Lupin's face, he could already tell she did something her father would do. And so, to Miss Parkinson's glee, he glared at Kimberly, who stuck her nose in the air as if she thought everyone was overreacting.

"What happened, Minerva?" Severus asked tiredly. Lupin appeared ready to head for the hills.

Before Minvera could answer, Miss Parkinson burst out with poorly concealed fury, "She told the whole school I had crabs!"

"You told everyone I had a foot fetish!" Kimberly screamed back while Severus had to force himself not to hit his head on the nearest wall.

Pansy pointed at her accusingly. "Only after you spread the rumor that I have pubic lice, toe sucker!"

"Girls! Girls!" Minerva yelled, nostrils flaring. What a day this had been. First Mr. Malfoy and now this. "And don't think I didn't see your little one woman act this morning, Miss Parkinson. Now, I think we've had enough excitement for one day. If the both of you can apologize to each other, I think we can put the water under the bridge. If not, you both can sort it out in detention."

Pansy looked to Severus for him to object, and Kim looked at Remus as if to say _I'd rather have detention with Filch for the rest of the year._ Severus sighed. Couldn't the brat have held it in for at least a week? He didn't have the energy for this. "You apologize first, Miss Potter."

Kim gaped as if Severus had told her to give Pansy a hug and a kiss and only didn't refuse because Remus gently nudged her towards the other girl. If only he had been able to see the evil glint in her eyes.

At first, it seemed like Kim was trying to shake Pansy's hand when she took it. Her true intentions weren't clear until it was too late.

"I'm sorry, Pansy," she said, sounding Dolores Umbridge sweet. Then, she brought Pansy's hand closer to her face as if she were going to kiss it (which was what a horrified Remus thought was going to happen) and licked it slowly instead.

Pansy's jaw dropped in absolute horror, and she could barely hear McGonagall yelling at Potter. As quickly as she could, she drew her hand away. "OH MY GOD!"

Remus groaned when Pansy ran away screaming bloody murder. "Did you really have to do that, Kim?"

"Yes!" Kim declared, sounding rather proud of herself.

Severus shook his head and walked away, tempted to hit the Firewhiskey tonight. "Fifty points from Gryffindor, Kimberly. I'm sure Minerva would be happy to sort out your month's detention."

_"A month?"_ Kim clamped her mouth shut when Severus stopped in his tracks. Maybe only a month was considered lucky.

"Make that two," Severus spat before he kept walking. Kim pursed her lips to keep from objecting again. It was still worth it, to make Pansy Parkinson scream like that.

* * *

"So Remus?" Kim asked as he walked her to Gryffindor Tower. "Are you living here now? Because I thought you didn't want that."

He knew he should be stern and still upset by her immature behavior, but Remus couldn't help smiling. "I'm working here now. I suppose you were too busy to notice."

Kim scrunched up her face at the tiny jab. "She was making fun of me _all day._"

Remus chuckled. "Did you ever hear the saying 'two wrongs don't make a right?'"

"No…" Kim shook head and kicked at invisible dust. "But I think Blaise Zabini said I'd be boring if I acted like Pansy. I'm not sure."

Remus laughed again and put an arm around her shoulder. "Then I guess I'll have to make sure you don't get too boring. Along with teaching you Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Really?" Kim froze and her eyes lit up. When she had seen Gilderoy Lockhart on the train, she had feared the worst. Remus was back! "The whole year?! And the next year? And the—"

"I'll stay as long as I can," Remus promised, having no idea how long that'll be. He didn't have the heart to remind her that people like him never held a job for long. For now, he was happy to see her so excited, and that he'd be able to see her every day for the rest of the school year, at the very least. They'd be a tiny family around the clock, at least for a little while.

* * *

It embarrassed her, but Kim found herself sneaking out after curfew to see Draco because she knew Pansy wouldn't be there. She shook her head as her hand gripped the door handle. Didn't she always criticize Draco for only talking to her when his friends weren't around? Kim took a deep breath and opened the door.

He was still awake and doing homework. (Hermione would be proud if she didn't think he was pond scum.) Kim was silent until she reached his bed, and he didn't say a word he finished writing his sentence.

"Pansy told me what you said about her." Draco shuddered. "And that you licked her."

Kim bristled. Of course he had to defend her. "I saw you laughing at me this morning."

Draco tensed. He had forced himself to laugh because Pansy was his girlfriend, and he didn't want her to accuse him of liking Kim more than her if he defended the other girl. "She's my girlfriend. Speaking of which, Father told me what you said. After I hugged you."

_What a way to change the subject! _Kim shouted in her head. She blushed when she realized exactly what he was talking about. "So? I just said it so he would free Dobby! And so what if she's your _girlfriend?_ She's still a bitch and looks like one too!"

Draco stared at her. By the look on her face, there was more to it than that. And she was practically foaming at the mouth when she so eloquently described Pansy. His mouth ran dry when he realized what it was. She was jealous. "What do you care? You have a boyfriend anyway."

"No, I don't," Kim said instantly. Then she only turned a shade redder. Mrs. Malfoy must've told him about Stanley. "He's just a friend. Because we go to different schools. And-and I don't think he likes me that way."

Again, Draco found himself staring. Clearly this upset her. Who was this guy? And why would she care so much about some stupid Muggle? He could easily hex the filthy Muggle black and blue. That piece of trash couldn't possibly be _that_ special. He found himself snapping when he managed to speak again. "So what? You snog some guy all summer, and he doesn't even fancy you? That's _disgusting._"

Kim flinched at his tone. It wasn't that bad. Draco was starting to sound like Severus, for some reason. "You know what? Forget it. I was going to let you apologize but—"

"_Apologize?_" Draco laughed like she was being outrageous. "You tell the whole school that my girlfriend has an STD, waltz in here and call her a bitch and ugly, and you expect _me_ to apologize?!"

"You laughed at me." Kim knew she was sounding childish, but that hurt far more than Pansy and the other Slytherins laughing at her. She thought Draco was her friend. Apparently not, as long as he was with Pansy.

Draco glared at her. "Get out before I call Madam Pomfrey."

Kim was so mad that she felt like steam was going to burst out of her ears. How dare he snap at her like that? He wasn't even hurt! He was just being an asshole to try to get Hagrid in trouble. All because of Pansy. "Fine! But we aren't friends anymore!"

Draco laughed bitterly, even though her words made him uneasy. "Were we ever?"

For a split second, Kim gasped and looked at extremely hurt, but then she covered it up with an angry expression. "No." She let out a shaky breath. "Clearly, we weren't."

* * *

Because of what happened on the train, it was a while before Sirius allowed himself to leave Lockhart's side. The egotistical man thought his dog was afraid from the dementors and felt that he needed his powerful master to protect him. Sirius simply thought that the dementors or the authorities were on to him and knew he could change into Padfoot.

And so, Sirius waited to pry himself away from his "master" when the gossips in Hogsmeade stopped talking about the "deranged murderer on the train." Surprisingly, that didn't take long since a few days later everyone was talking about how Lucius Malfoy was going to sue Albus Dumbledore for everything he had. Sirius snorted as he sniffed about the grounds late one night, careful to avoid the dementors looking for him. Malfoy thought he was one of the most powerful men in the country, but Sirius would like to see the day that he, or anyone else, stood up to Dumbledore and won. Seeing Snivellus prancing around in a pink tutu was more likely.

_"You,"_ something hissed from behind him. From what he could smell, Sirius figured it was a male cat, maybe a kneazle. He turned around to see that it was a mixed breed. _"You are like the one I'm not allowed to eat. A human who is not a human."_

Sirius felt his ears perk up at that. What are the odds there would be another animagus in the castle besides that filthy rat? _"Is the human who is not a human living as a rat? With a boy?"_

The cat's fat tail flicked in the air as if annoyed, and its orange eyes narrowed. _"I don't like it near my human. I'm going to __**eat **__it!"_

_ "No!"_ Sirius groaned, trying not to bark or do something to offend the cat. This could be his chance for access into the castle. _"I need to capture it. I __**will**__ kill him… I will. But I need him in order to live among the humans again."_

The orange eyes stayed narrowed as if the cat couldn't possibly fathom why Sirius would want to live as a human. Still, he was curious about the human rat living so close to his human. _"I'll bring it to you. In one piece? I can't guarantee that… But I want to see the creature for what it truly is."_

Sirius nodded. _"If we can catch it, everyone will."_

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Anyone Team Blaise? ;) I don't think they'll get together though. I just think he's a cool character. But who knows? And for Neville fans, the garden shall be created after the first Hogsmeade weekend! Please review!**


	6. The Frightful Encounter

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Thank you sharkmm, Emarye, Ceizzy, Lizzie Salvatore, Kaylee13133, and mangoshake24 for reviewing! That's more than usual! I really appreciate every one! :)**

**A/N: So in my plans for this story, I had Kim getting closer to Neville, but you guys seemed to like Blaise, so I squeezed a little moment with him in this chapter! We'll see for later!**

**A/N2: I know Draco is rather nasty in this chapter, but I think Kim is being a brat too, and it's the only way he feels he can tell her to stay away from Sirius. He shouldn't have said what he said, but that didn't give her the right to sort of poison him. So um, yeah. If someone is mean to you, don't shrink their nose! Malfoys do **_**not**_** breathe from their mouths!**

Chapter 6 The Frightful Encounter

If Draco had simply fallen out of a tree or crashed into something with his broom, Narcissa supposed she would have lectured her son about being reckless to impress a girl (from what she could gather that was exactly what happened), but this was different. Something had _maimed_ her son, her only living child. He could have been seriously hurt, or worse, killed. For the first time in over a decade, Narcissa found herself not only outraged but afraid as well.

With the basilisk, it was different. By the time she had found out about it, the threat was gone, Draco was safe with her, and it was already becoming a memory. Today, all she had to do was look out a window in the castle and still see the threat prancing about with the rest of the herd. It could happen again, and this time her son, who was only being a foolish child, could see a worse fate than a nasty cut on his arm.

And so, Narcissa kept silent as Lucius ranted and raved about Dumbledore's office like an over proud bull. Being Abraxas's son, Lucius saw this as a grasp for power along with revenge, and Narcissa could care less as long as Draco was safe.

"And I want Draco pulled out of the class," Narcissa spoke up for the first time since they had arrived at Dumbledore's office.

Lucius faltered, but only slightly. "Darling, we don't want to embarrass our son any further. He shouldn't have to make changes because the _teachers_, if they can be called that, are inadequate."

Narcissa's dark blue eyes flickered to her husband briefly before turning back to Dumbledore. "I tolerate the wolf because I know what he is like. I know he would rather die than endanger a human. The… What is he? A half giant? He is not malevolent man, not in anyway. But he is incapable of understanding what his dangerous for a normal child and what is not, Albus. It is not my business who you hire, but it is my business who you allow around my son."

There was a glint in Dumbledore's eyes that told Narcissa that he was going to throw her a curveball. She braced herself but couldn't stop her eyes from widening when he spoke. "The only elective that matches with Care for Magical Creatures is Muggle Studies, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Absolutely not," Lucius said instantly. "Cissy, you can't possibly—"

Narcissa felt her lip curl slightly in disgust at the thought of Draco being forced to learn about Muggles. The only ones she had met had made her skin crawl. "Surely there is another option."

But when the glint turned into a full on twinkle, she knew that there was a snowball's chance in hell the headmaster was even going to _try_ to move the schedules around. "I'm afraid not. Mrs. Malfoy, I would trust Hagrid with my life. However, I will talk to him about classroom management—"

"Classroom management?" Narcissa spat. "My son was nearly _trampled._ Fire him."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at her outburst, but he let it go since he knew Narcissa was panicking. She loved Draco fiercely, and for once, it was clouding her judgement. His voice was calm and collected as he said, "No."

"Not to worry, Cissa," Lucius butted in before she could try to place Draco in Muggle Studies. "We'll settle this in court."

* * *

It wasn't until a few days later that Draco could be bothered with returning to class. While he was acting like he was on his death bed in the Hospital Wing, Kim racked up another month's worth of Monday night detentions with Severus for torturing Pansy. She hated Monday detentions the worst since she was extra tired from the weekend, but she knew better than to complain. Whenever she picked on Pansy, Severus had this funny look in his eyes before they would ignite with fury, and he screamed at her until his face turned red. Kim felt like a kicked puppy whenever he did so, but she couldn't help it. Pansy was just too easy to upset.

That day in double Potions, Kim didn't realize when Draco strolled into the middle of the class period that he was going to fight fire with fire. He sat right next to her and Neville with an evil smile on his face. Kim tried to focus on her potion or stare straight ahead at the board. In her mind, he was only sitting next to them to make the entire double lesson super awkward. She should've known that he was more devious than that.

"Sir," Draco whined the second he sat down. "I'm going to need help getting my supplies out and cutting up my daisy roots. You know, because of my arm."

Today was definitely the wrong day to wipe tiny chunks of butter on Pansy's sleeve and tell her it was bogeys. Kim almost groaned when Severus said, "Miss Potter, set everything up for Mr. Malfoy. Longbottom, cut up his roots. If you manage to mess up that _simple_ task you will spend the weekend in detention, so do try your best."

Kim's face turned bright red as she had to reach into Draco's bag and set everything up for him. Pansy's giggles from behind her made her extra tense as she hissed to Draco, "I saw you writing the other night. Your arm's fine."

Draco smirked and taunted quietly, "You mean when you were out after curfew? I'm sure Severus would be interested with that little detail."

Kim gritted her teeth as Neville started cutting up Draco's roots as if his life depended on it. It was probably in her best interest to change the subject. "It's not fair to Hagrid. It's your fault—"

"My fault?" Draco sneered at her and then turned his head towards Severus's desk. "Sir, I need my shrivelfig skinned too."

"Miss Potter, I'm sure you can find time in between your nonstop chattering." Severus didn't even look away from Crabbe and Goyle, who he was helping. Kim scowled. If Neville's potion looked like that radioactive goop, Severus would've yelled at him until he was near tears.

Snatching the fig off Draco's tray, Kim tried to ignore the burning in her cheeks. "So is that what you want?" Kim asked, trying to whisper through the lump in her throat. "To get Hagrid fired and me sent away for the year?"

"Longbottom, you're cutting them too thin. Get started on my caterpillars." Draco sounded smug as Neville squeaked and obeyed until Kim pegged a dead caterpillar at his forehead. "Quit it! And it's your own fault if you get suspended. Black's out for your blood. You probably shouldn't even _be_ here. You have the decision making skills of a two year old."

"What do you care?" She really wished his words didn't hurt. And she knew that Severus was well aware of the fact that Draco was being an ass. She may be closer to Severus than any of the Slytherins, but he still always favored them, especially Draco. The fact that she didn't like with a good majority of the Slytherins in her year didn't help either.

"Father says you're stupid enough to think Black's your friend." From the table in front of them, Hermione turned around and made a face at Draco's slightly fearful tone. His back was to her, so he didn't notice until Kim waved at her to turn around. Leave it to Hermione to realize that he was afraid of her meeting up with Padfoot. "So that makes you as stupid as your parents. No, _stupider _since you're still falling for it after what happened to them."

_Splash!_

Since Potions was her best subject, Kim was slightly ahead of the rest of the class and nearly halfway done her Shrinking Solution by the time Draco came waltzing in. It still wasn't finished, so when she dumped it on Draco's head, only parts of it shrunk. His nose shrunk to the size of a baby's along with his ears and his neck looked a little shorted too.

As Draco started panicking and gasping for air while Pansy shrieked, Severus spun around and started screaming at her the minute he saw what had happened. "KIMBERLY! I SWEAR, YOU GET MORE AND MORE IMMATURE EACH YEAR! GET OUT OF MY CLASS!"

* * *

Kim wasn't talking to Severus after that, no matter how many times Remus tried to get them to work it out over the next few days. Since he was rather antisocial, Severus didn't seem to mind much, but after telling Remus what happened in Professor Dumbledore's office, he thought the potions master would understand if Kim explained to him exactly what Draco said. Unfortunately, Kim was feeling rather dramatic and told Remus that she was never going to speak to Severus again as long as she lived and that she wouldn't speak to him either if he told him. She was tired of being humiliated and tired of Severus always assuming that Draco was an innocent, whiny, little albino angel while she was a brutish, flaming headed harlot who never made a good decision in her entire life.

Therefore, Kim found herself spending her free time brooding and couldn't shake herself out of it no matter how many times Ron, Hermione, and Ginny tried to cheer her up with strawberry shortcake. Sure, she ate it anyway, but she wasn't happy about it damn it!

"You know, I've never seen someone look so depressed while staring at the clouds."

Kim turned her head slightly to see Blaise Zabini, who was trying not to laugh at her. It was one of the last few days that were going to be warm, so she had decided to pout outside instead of staying in to listen to Ron and Hermione bicker. She knew it was odd, but she realized that she never saw Zabini genuinely smile. That did nothing to improve her sulky mood though. "Leave me alone, Zabini. I'm not in the mood for your cool, Dumbledore-like advice."

Blaise ignored her tone and plopped next to her. "You think I'm cool? Cool enough to be Dumbledore?"

Sighing angrily, Kim turned back to the clouds in the bright blue sky. "Slytherins hate Dumbledore. I'm insulting you. Because I'm _boring_ like you said the other day."

She heard a chuckle as Blaise laid down to gaze at the clouds too and tried to ignore how close he was to her. When he spoke, he sounded proud of himself. "_I_ don't care about what Slytherins like. _I_ care about what _I_ like. And as much as I hate to admit it, Draco having to breathe through his mouth while not being able to hear us was far from boring."

"He deserved it," Kim grumbled miserably.

"I'm sure." Blaise pointed at a cloud. "That one looks your Weasley friend's rat. Well, when it was still fat."

"I like Scabbers. Ron lets me borrow him sometimes over the summer when Severus is trying to make me eat vegetables." Kim grinned at the memories. "I chuck the broccoli under the table and he eats it, but only if I put butter on it. Severus was so mad this one time! Because I didn't know about the butter so he found all the broccoli the next day at breakfast because it stunk!"

Blaise couldn't help but burst out laughing at the thought of Severus Snape trying to get someone to eat their vegetables. He didn't think his head of house had it in him to care enough about someone to make the effort. It was almost…_nurturing._ The exaggerated thought only made him laugh harder. "I guess that explains why he's so miserable. He snapped at Daphne the other day because she made the whole Common Room smell like nail polish. He never snaps at _us._"

"Because you guys are all dark winged angels," Kim said obnoxiously. "Accept for the albino prince, the purest angle of them all."

"Wha-what?" Blaise laughed again. "That's why I like you. You're so weird."

"Weird?" Kim wrinkled her nose and spun around to face him, ignoring that he said he liked her. "I'm not weird! Pansy's a jerk! Draco's a jerk! And Daphne hates me because I accidently threw ice cream at her little sister over the summer. It was an _accident!_"

"I'm sure." Blaise sounded like he actually wasn't sure if he believed her but found it funny either way. Then, he turned so they were face to face. Kim felt her heart freeze at how close their faces were and hoped her expression didn't show it too much. "The point is that the fact that you're angry at him is bothering Professor Snape whether he wants to admit it or not."

"He humiliated me," Kim forced herself to say even though her heart felt like it was beating again and had started up rather quickly. "I've felt horrible all week and—"

"And Severus isn't going to give in unless something bad happens." Blaise didn't seemed bothered at all by their closeness, which only made Kim feel more uncomfortable. "Did you ever think that he favors us because he has to? Everyone else thinks we're bad eggs. We've got to have someone who we know is always on our side."

Kim wanted to object so badly, but that's how she felt when she was at school before Hogwarts. Only there, no one was on her side. She dreaded waking up every morning and that feeling didn't go away until school was finally over, only to start up again before she went to bed. "Yeah. I guess."

"So that's why he always assumes it's your fault. You know, besides when it actually _is_ your fault. He has a soft spot for Slytherins, and Draco takes advantage of it more than any of us." Blaise stared at her to watch what he said sink in for a moment, but then flopped on his back and pointed to another cloud as if he hadn't spoken at all. "That one reminds me of the cauldron my mother's fourth husband had." He was pointing to a wispy cloud that looked like the outline of a cauldron. "It was spelled see-through to look like glass."

Kim followed suit and laid on her back, thinking that it was weird for Severus to have a soft spot at all, let alone for people. But Blaise was right. McGonagall didn't favor them, but the other teachers and prefects looked at the Slytherins differently compared to how they looked at everyone else. And when teachers used to look at her like that, Kim remembered that it only made her ten times meaner. She'll forgive Severus, if only this once.

* * *

Remus didn't have the slightest clue as to why Kim started talking to Severus again, but he thanked Merlin she did. They both were too stubborn to talk about it and were acting like it never happened. Kim shouldn't have dumped the potion on Malfoy not knowing what an unfinished potion could do to him, but the boy shouldn't have said those things either. They both were wrong, so Remus decided it was best to let it go before things could get worse.

Still, Remus couldn't help but play his own little joke on Severus during his first lesson with the third year Gryffindors. Kim often complained that Severus treated Neville so poorly while Severus would grumble back that Neville needed to do something right for once in his life. Well, Neville was about to do something right, at Severus's expense.

And it was worth it. Besides the fact that all of the other kids lit up and cheered at Severus in drag, Neville was beyond relieved to have managed the incantation without making a fool of himself. Remus clapped him on the back of the shoulder. "Excellent! Ten points to Gryffindor! Who wants to go next?"

They saw Hermione having to turn McGonagall into a ballerina after the Gryffindor head of house told her that she flunked out of school. The Parvati's mummy, Seamus's banshee, and Dean's severed hand. Lavender Brown's made her go blind, and when the boggart started to get confused, it rounded on Neville as a Professor Snape who was only three feet tall. It then panicked and rushed over to Ron to become a giant, six foot spider.

"C'mon Ron! You can do it!" Kim cheered, pumping her fists in the air. "If Hermione can beat McGonagall you can beat a silly old spider!"

Everyone thought Ron had frozen with fear and were paying too much attention to notice Hermione thump Kim on the back of the head and Kim stick her tongue out at her in return. But Ron saw and managed a tiny smile as spider clicked his pincers at him. He wasn't sure how but he finally managed to yell, _"Riddikulus!"_ right before the spider took a step closer to him.

The legless spider bounced to Kim next, and she smiled excitedly, thinking her greatest fear would be similar to Seamus's or Parvati's. Maybe she should've thought more deeply about it instead of getting wrapped up in everyone else's battles.

Tom appeared as charming and handsome as ever, and Kim felt all the color draining from her face. She barely heard her wand clatter to the floor as he held out his hand.

_"I'm sorry about before." _His voice rang throughout the classroom as it used to in her head. _"Will you forgive me? All you have to do it write, and we'll be together again."_

_Crack!_

Remus shot the boggart way and flinched when it flew towards him. At first, Kim recognized it as the full moon, but it quickly started changing again. She caught a wisp of black hair before Remus said quickly, _"Riddikulus!"_

The boggart turned into a cockroach and crawled back to Neville. He finished him off, but Kim wasn't paying enough attention to cheer him on. She felt too numb to react at all. She knew Defense was her worst subject, but Hermione struggled with her boggart too, and Remus helped her through it. Why didn't he think she could handle it?

* * *

Draco was didn't know it, but he was extremely lucky that Hagrid's destroyed confidence made Care for Magical Creatures safe enough for four year olds. Kim, however, was not.

Apparently, she was allergic to flobberworms and swelled up like balloon after Ron dared her to let one flop about all over her. Since she didn't see any harm in it, Kim thought herself pretty brave when she let five crawl on her at once. Boy was she wrong. Madame Pomfrey had to give her three potions just so she could breathe properly and had to firecall Severus for another to stop the swelling. What a beginning of the school year this was turning out to be.

When Severus showed up, he stopped and stared her down, as if he couldn't recognize her with her red face and puffy cheeks. At first, Kim thought she was going to get a lecture about being a 'dunderhead' as Severus had taken to calling Neville, but then his lips twitched in the most bizarre way. If her face wasn't so swollen, she was sure she would look horrified as she felt. Severus was trying not to laugh.

"It's not funny!" she said as loudly and firmly as she could with her 'butt cheeks' (Pansy's words, not hers) in the way.

"Far from it." After finally managing to suppress his almost smile, Severus handed her a small vile with a potion to stop the swelling. "It seems the only place you can survive is in a potions lab. Although you've had a few close calls in the dungeons as well."

Kim downed the potion and then smiled smugly. The swelling started to deflate like a balloon with a small hole in it. "I guess that just means I'll have to be a potions master like you. I'll be your apprentice, and we'll spend every day together for _years._"

And just like that, Severus's sense of almost cheerfulness disappeared, and he was back to his dour, sarcastic self. He raised his eyebrows and drawled, "You sure know how to brighten one's day. Don't you?"

"Yup." Kim wanted to laugh but couldn't help but frown when she thought of class with Remus earlier. He would probably be here by now, worrying as usual, if he wasn't teaching. She wasn't sure if she wanted that right now. "Severus? Do you think I'm weak?"

Severus frowned, wondering where that was coming from. The brat thought the best of herself more often than not. He was tempted to say yes but didn't want to deal with Lupin if he made her cry. "Weak? No. I think you tend to get into situations that would be better suited for an auror and that you would benefit from a halfway decent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Kim ignored the jab at Remus, since that was the problem. "Well… Remus doesn't think I can handle a boggart and now I'm too weak for flobberworms."

"Kimberly…" Severus thinned his lips when she looked up at him with wide and expectant, albeit slightly puffy, eyes, waiting praise. She could at least _try _to act like she wasn't expecting him to tell her far from weak to survive the past two school years. Fine. He'll just have to teach her a lesson. "If you are worried about it, you obviously need a better teacher than Lupin. You know my office hours."

"He's a good teacher!" Kim snapped defensively, trying not to pout. "He thinks I'm a baby that's all."

Not knowing why he bothered, Severus rolled his eyes. Lupin owed him big time for this. "And what did your boggart appear as, Kimberly?"

"Tom." Kim frowned and clenched her fists. He wasn't Tom. He was Voldemort. She still had trouble seeing them as the same person despite the fact that he tried to kill her. "I-I mean, Voldemort. But when he was younger… It-_he _was trying to take control of me again."

Severus remained silent for a while. Emotional problems that didn't require immediate action were Lupin's area of expertise. "Perhaps he thought the other students would be afraid."

"They weren't," she said stubbornly. Severus supposed it would've been embarrassing, especially since the other students knew about her closeness with Lupin. It would be like her mummy yelling at her in the middle of a game that she couldn't play Quidditch anymore because it was too dangerous. The girl huffed and folded her arms over her chest. "They didn't even know who he was. Lavender Brown said he was cute, and that I should give Tom a chance to apologize."

Severus snorted. "Lavender Brown's head is full of cotton." That at least earned the smallest of smiles. "You are not weak, Kimberly. Childish and rash, yes, but that does not make you incapable. If Lupin keeps it up, I'll tell him what a pathetic teacher he is being and tell him to stop it."

As she watched Severus go, Kim wasn't sure if that made her feel better or not. She pursed her lips and furthered her brow. So either she was going to have to talk to Remus about it, or Severus was going to and make him feel horrible. Maybe that was what Severus wanted all along, for her to be brave and work it out with Remus herself… Hopefully.

* * *

Kim sighed as she trudged her way up to Remus's office. Everyone else was having a blast in Hogsmeade, and she was stuck inside. She had a feeling that Severus gave Colin and Ginny a big test to study for just to make sure she was bored. For some reason, he was still miffed with her for licking Pansy... and the butter… and dumping mayonnaise on her head at lunch yesterday… It wasn't that bad.

"Remus!" Kim whined as she delivered the smelly potion that Severus wanted her to give him. "Severus kicked me out of the dungeons for following him! Tell him to let me go to Hogsmeade, and I won't shake up his jars and ask him lots of questions and hide under desks to scare him!"

Reluctantly, Remus took the goblet from her. The taste reminded him of the time James put his sweaty socks in his mouth while he was sleeping. "I'll ask him after you make him sprout his first grey hair."

Kim thinned her lips as if to say _Is that a challenge?_ "Well I'm _bored._ Ginny and Colin are being boring and that other girl-Luna- is being boring with them! Riding Buckbeak to Hogsmeade is getting rather tempting."

Remus rolled his eyes. She had plenty to do and was simply choosing not to do it. "How about you take a crack at being 'boring,' as you call it, and get a head start on your homework? As your teacher, I happen to know you have some."

Not meeting his eye, Kim huffed and scowled like the brat she was. She was still embarrassed over his first lesson. "Are you going to do that all the time? Because people are teasing me enough as it is this year."

"Do what?" Remus asked instantly. A second after she glared at him, it dawned on him. "Sweetheart, it was because of what your boggart appeared as. Not because I thought you couldn't fight it. I would imagine that the rest of the class wouldn't have taken Voldemort appearing too well."

Kim kicked her feet under the table, blushing when she kicked a wooden leg and made it shake. "Lavender didn't mind."

Remus smiled sadly. He should've known that he embarrassed her, but when he saw Tom Riddle, he panicked. And then he was too relieved by the fact that the boggart only turned into the moon again. There were a number of other possibilities, Kim dead at the top of the list and her finding out his secret coming at a close second. The thought of the drawer full of letters not three steps away from her wiped the smile clean off his face. That would've been a disaster.

"Tell you what." Remus gulped down another swallow of the Wolfsbane, hoping that would force away the hoarseness in his voice. "Soon we'll be facing the grindylow." He gestured to the tank behind him. "And I'll let you fight it first."

"Really?" Kim's eyes lit up, and Remus tried to focus on that instead of his guilt. "And you won't jump in front of it? Even if he tries to eat my face?"

Remus laughed. "I think any teacher would put a stop to that. How about this? I solemnly swear that I won't interfere _unless_ the grindylow jumps on you and tries to eat your face."

_Why does that phrase sound so familiar?_ Kim thought. She must've heard it from Fred and George. They were never solemn about _anything,_ but they were always saying odd things like that. Kim pretended to consider Remus's offer for a minute, but soon enough, finally held out her hand as if this was a serious negotiation. "Deal."

* * *

"_This students are back! You shouldn't be here,"_ Crookshanks hissed as he trotted up the stairs with Padfoot. _"I told you. I just have to figure out when the boy is in a deep sleep. Then I will get the human rat."_

_ "This is quicker," _Sirius said impatiently. The cat didn't understand. He had waited too long. _"It'll only take a moment."_

Crookshanks didn't say anything and sat in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. When she didn't budge, he took a stab at being cute and meowed happily while kneading his paws where the portrait usually swung open. The Fat Lady was unfazed, however, causing Crookshanks to growl slightly. His human would've fallen for it.

"No pets unless their master is of Gryffindor House." The Fat Lady looked down on Sirius as if she could tell just by looking at him that he was a Slytherin's pet. Sirius tilted his head to the side, trying to play dumb. She seemed more amused than anything else. "No."

Hoping the Fat Lady had an irrational fear of dogs, Sirius growled and acted like he was going to leap at the portrait. Again, nothing. It was times like this when Sirius really needed Remus around because there was no one to stop him from doing something this stupid.

Thinking he could force his way in, Sirius changed into himself for the first time in months. The Fat Lady immediately started screaming, causing him to swear under his breath and try to shush her. "Quiet! You just have to let me in for a minute!"

"SIRIUS BLACK! HELP! HELP! IT'S SIRIUS BLACK!" the Fat Lady screeched at the top of her lungs.

"SHUT UP!" Sirius shouted, but it was no use. The portrait was near hysterics. The only way to get in would be to scare her off.

He was never as good at wandless magic as Remus, but he had to at least give it a shot. If only he had as much control over it as he used to. Then what he had meant to be a little scratch was the edge of the portrait wouldn't have turned into three giant claw marks.

As expected, the Fat Lady started screaming bloody murder as if she could actually be killed, but (although he did feel guilty) it got Sirius what he wanted. She fled before the claw marks even finished tearing.

Biting his lip guiltily, Sirius rushed over to the abandoned portrait to try to force it open. He wasn't as strong as he used to be before Azkaban, and just when he thought he was getting it open, he heard giggling.

"Shit," he whispered as the giggles got closer. He changed into Padfoot and started to leave, rushing past them before they could figure out what he was. Perhaps he should listen to Crookshanks next time. The Marauder in him felt like his pride was trampled on at the thought. Since when did one of the greatest pranksters of all time need to rely on the advice of a cat?

As he was running past as fast as he could, he heard one girl cattily say to another, "Can you believe what Hermione was wearing to the first Hogsmeade trip? How's she ever going to get a boyfriend with that tent she calls a coat?"

"I liked the color, Lavender—Oh!" a dark haired girl yelped as Sirius nearly knocked her over.

_"I'm putting a dead spider in her shoe later," _Crookshanks informed Sirius as they started blindly running through the halls.

Sirius supposed he would've thought this was funny if he wasn't in danger of running into Remus any minute. _"Oh? Make sure it's a really fat one."_

Crookshanks shook his head as if Sirius was an idiot. _"Obviously."_

* * *

As they started heading up to Gryffindor Tower, Kim tried not to laugh as Hermione tried to help (boss around) her and Neville with the construction of their garden. All Hermione had to do was ask if she wanted to garden with them.

"Make sure there aren't too many anthills near it," the bushy haired girl lectured them. "Especially since you want to plant quite a few fruits."

Neville smiled shyly, not wanting to point out that he and Hermione were tied with their Herbology grades. He knew just as much as she did about starting a garden. "Professor Sprout told me that she'll give us chicken wire to build a fence to keep the rabbits out."

"But that won't keep bugs away," Hermione insisted. "I'm sure there will be some useful insect wards in the library."

Kim was about to ask Hermione if she wanted to go to the library and join them next Saturday when she saw a familiar black dog racing towards them. Her eyes popped out of her head. "CHICKEN FINGER!"

Hermione blinked. "What?" But Kim was already gone.

Kim heard Hermione and Neville chasing after her but didn't stop running to allow them to catch up. Her dog was back! Severus must have brought him over after that old lady neighbor found him.

She ran and ran and ran and didn't even hesitate to rush outside after Chicken Finger. She lost him once and wasn't about to lose him again.

"Pawprint, my boy!" Gilderoy Lockhart was outside by Hagrid's hut, trying to look like he was up to something important, and stopped to hold his arms out to Chicken Finger. Kim stopped in her tracks, and Neville nearly ran into her.

"Hey! That's my dog!" Kim called out, but Lockhart was too far away and was already leaving with _her_ dog. Growling, Kim started stomping over to him until she heard the voice that was the source of Neville's nightmares.

"Kimberly Potter!" Severus boomed. "What are you doing out after dark? On the very night Black was found in the castle?"

Feeling like someone poured ice water on her head, Kim stopped and slowly spun around. "Wha…?"

She couldn't even finish the word. She had never seen Severus so angry. Well, she probably had, considering how crazy she drove him, but this different than the usual. There was no way that she was going to be able to talk her way out of this one. She was going to be in so much trouble!

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I came so close to having Narcissa send Draco to Muggle Studies! But I thought that would be too out of character for her. Maybe next year when Hagrid gets some confidence back. What do you think? Please review!**


	7. The Game

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Thank you Christina salvatore, Kaylee13133, Emarye, and Ceizzy for reviewing!**

**Christina salvatore: But not until she breaks into his room in the Hog's Head! ;)**

**A/N: I'm not sure if it gets a little confusing, but all the "dog names" in this chapter are about Sirius. I had Kim decide to call him Sever so she kind of goes back and forth.**

**And Emarye, I didn't forget! Sirius will be called Snuffles in a few chapters after the chapter called The Confession.**

Chapter 7 The Game

Kim felt like she was being taking to the gallows as Severus led her to his office. He only barked, "Go to the Great Hall," to Neville and Hermione. With a squeak from Neville, they were gone. She glowered as she watched them go. So much for Gryffindor bravery.

"Oh thank Merlin." Remus's shoulders slumped in relief when he ran into them. She was scowling like a brat and trying not to look like she was afraid of getting in trouble, meaning that she was okay. "Where were you? The whole castle is—"

"She was outside with Longbottom and Granger." From the furious look on Severus's face, Remus could tell that he thought the worst. Remus silently followed to the potions master's office, wondering if it was in his best interest to point out that curfew didn't start for another twenty minutes. He doubted it would do Kim much good either.

Still, she seemed to want to at least try to make her case. "But—"

"But if you didn't run into Black, you would have run into dementors." Severus sat behind his desk, fixing his black eyes on her as if he could read her mind. Slowly, Remus sat down, leading Kim to follow suit with a huff. He almost smiled. How long was she going to try to act tough? Severus wasn't buying it either. He leaned forward and asked, "Were you looking for him?"

"No!" Kim tried her best not to look guilty because her own thoughts but squirmed anyway. Part of her was a little disappointed that Padfoot hadn't tried to contact her since she saw him as her friend. Surely he needed help, even if it was just for food or something.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. He should've known something like this would happen. Black had been too quiet for what? Almost two full months? "Do you really expect me to believe that? Can you honestly tell me that you wouldn't respond if Black tried to contact you? That you would do the right thing and tell someone?"

Kim was silent for a while. Severus would know that she was lying, and he already knew the answer, so why did he even bother asking? When she spoke, her voice was so quiet that it made her feel small. "The point is he hasn't. I didn't know he was in the castle. And Hermione wouldn't have let me run outside to meet him. She would've stunned me."

_I don't want you to get hurt!_ Severus practically screamed in his head. By how uncomfortable Lupin suddenly became, he could tell that the wolf knew what he was thinking. He would never let Kimberly know that though. Perhaps that's why he sounded so cruel when he said, "As much as you apparently need one, Miss Granger is not your babysitter. She won't always be there, and if you are going to have the privilege of not being under constant surveillance, you are going to at least have to prove it by being honest. Now, why were you outside if it wasn't to meet up with Black?"

Kim tried to blink back tears, so it wouldn't look like his nasty tone affected her. Everyone thought she was a baby. Speaking slowly so that her voice would remain steady, she said, "Gilderoy Lockhart stole Chicken Finger."

If Severus hadn't hurt her feelings, Kim supposed this would've been funny. Maybe not funny, since she wanted to do nothing more than punch Lockhart in the face and take her dog back. Remus would've found it funny at least. Kim glanced at him to see all the color drain from his face. Weird…

"And you expect me to believe that?" Severus drawled once he was able to respond to her ridiculous excuse. He didn't take much notice to the fact that Remus seemed ready to have a heart attack and quite frankly didn't care. Lockhart heart breaking into his house to steal that mutt? It was absolutely absurd.

Pushing her hurt feelings to the side at hopes of getting her dog back, Kim pounded her fist on the edge of her chair. "That dirty thief Gilderoy Lockhart stole Chicken Finger because-because that's what he does! Last year he stole Remus's job, and now he stole my dog! He can't help it Severus! And I need to rescue Chicken Finger!"

"What-what does your dog look like?" Remus asked feebly.

"Never mind what it looks like, Lupin!" Severus snarled. He glared at Kim, only becoming angrier when he realized she believed every word that she was telling him. "Kimberly, Gilderoy Lockhart makes more than my month's salary at a book signing, why would he break into my house to take your dog and less than three hundred pounds?"

"Because he's crazy!" Kim yelled, sounding a bit crazy herself. She was less than an hour's walk from getting her dog back, and Severus was letting something as silly as logic get in the way of it! "And he's out to get me! I think he's jealous because he thinks I'm more famous than him. So he took Chicken Finger out of revenge!"

Severus shot Remus a look as if to say, _Deal with her because I can't. _Unfortunately, Remus was a sickly green color and seemed unable to form words. "Black was and still could be in the castle. So you are telling me that you just happened to be running around outside in the dark while Black just happened to be very close by?"

"I'm telling the truth so what does that matter?!" Kim fidgeted in her seat as Severus glared at her and rose from his own to start pacing. Maybe now wouldn't be the best time to ask to go to Hogsmeade to get Chicken Finger back.

"This dog…" Remus said slowly, sounding like he was trying not to get sick. "What does it look like?"

"Shut up, Lupin! Who cares what the dog looks like?" Severus ceased his pacing to stare her down. "For the last time Kimberly, did you know Black was in the castle?"

"No." Kim squirmed again. Since she didn't see Padfoot as a threat, she couldn't take this as seriously as everyone else. She wanted to hold it in since Severus was more than upset, but she couldn't help but burst out, "Can we go to Hogsmeade to get him?!"

Severus's fingers twitched as if he was trying his best to keep himself from strangling her. "You." He jabbed an index finger in her direction. "Are not leaving this office tonight. And you are lucky that's the only thing that is going to happen. We are not going to Hogsmeade. You are not leaving the school unless the castle spontaneously bursts into flames. Is that clear?"

_No! _Kim screamed in her head but knew that would only get her a long lecture about being irresponsible and immature. Still, she had to try one last time. She gave Severus her best puppy dog eyes and said, "I'll change his name to Sever for you."

"Kimberly…" Severus took a deep breath but found himself too fed up for words. What was he going to have to do to get her to understand how dangerous Black is? After first year, the girl refused to believe a word of the truth. It was a miracle she hadn't gone out looking for him.

To Severus's annoyance, Remus took his silence as another opportunity to speak again. "Why would you change his name to that? Is his fur—"

"Lupin," Severus warned with poorly concealed rage. "If you ask what the dog looks like one more bloody time I'm going to hex you black and blue."

Kim sighed as Remus tried to respond but only had the courage to stammer that he was worrying about something while Severus flipped out on him for not being able to focus on the problem at hand. She would find a way to Hogsmeade, get Chicken Finger—no _Sever_ back, and act like she saw found him on the school grounds. With her invisibility cloak, Severus wouldn't find out and would never know the difference.

* * *

"So I _need _to get to Hogsmeade next time, guys," Kim ranted to Hermione, Ron, and Ginny the next day as they walked through the halls. Severus stuck true to his word and conjured a chair into a cot for her to spend the night in. Just before she fell asleep, Remus asked her what color Sever was, so Severus hexed him so he couldn't speak or write for twenty four hours.

"Chicken—" Ginny began, but Kim cut her off.

"_Sever!_" she corrected. "Severus will be more likely to let me keep him at the castle if he's named after him."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Fine. _Sever_ will be fine with Lockhart. Besides, you didn't get a good look at him. It could be just another black dog."

Ron nodded. "Do you _really_ think Lockhart is capable of opening a locked door to break into Snape's house? I mean, if he had a key then _maybe_. But he didn't so—"

"Honestly, Ronald, we had to read all his books last year!" Hermione shook her head at what she thought was Ron being ignorant. "Honestly, I don't think Professor Lockhart did it. But he's more than capable of protecting the school from Black."

Kim opened her mouth to disagree but felt that creepy feeling one gets when they're being watched. She didn't stop walking until she spun around to face Pansy and threw her arms in the air as if she were about to grab the other girl. "ROAR!"

Thinking she was doing a good job of listening in and not expecting to be caught, Pansy screamed and fell backwards. Embarrassed, she scrambled up as quickly as she could and took out her wand.

"Don't get so close if you're going to listen in next time, _Pugsy_," Kim taunted meanly. "Go ahead. Be the one to start the fight, see what happens."

Pansy narrowed her eyes. They were far away from the dungeons, meaning the first teacher to be called wouldn't be Professor Snape. "Just know that I'll be watching out for you next Hogsmeade trip, Potter. You're too ugly to blend in with the rest of the crowd."

Thinking she had won, Kim laughed evilly as Pansy ran off. Ginny raised her eyebrows. "Sometimes I wonder why Hermione always feels the need to correct you and Ron." She frowned. "And then you laugh like that, and it all becomes clear."

"Hey!" Kim almost swatted at Ginny playfully until she saw how serious her friend was. She looked at the other two, seeing that Hermione agreed with Ginny while Ron agreed with her. "But Pansy started it!" she whined. "She makes fun of me! You should be on my side!"

Ginny snorted. "Maybe I would be if I thought that was the real reason you pick on her."

"Why else would I?" Kim pursed her lips when Hermione made a noise that sounded like a smothered laugh. "She's a bitch."

"For what it's worth," Ron spoke up when he realized that Ginny and Hermione were dangerously close to giving Kim the cold shoulder. "I think Pugsy is pretty clever."

He was hoping for comic relief, but instead, Hermione rounded on him. "So you think it's clever when Millicent Bulstrode calls me Beaver Tooth or when Daphne Greengrass calls Kim the Midget Scarface Capone?"

"She does what?!" Kim shrieked. Ginny covered her mouth to hide her smile.

Ron hunched over as if he could hide from Hermione in his shoulders. "Well…" He laughed nervously. "Beaver Tooth isn't as clever as Pugsy. Or as funny as the other one. I think Percy learned about that Capone bloke in Muggle Studies. A movie about him or something. Is Greengrass taking it?"

Kim could tell from the fire in Hermione's eyes that she wanted nothing more than to hit Ron. Instead, she ignored him and poked Kim in the shoulder. "See? Know you know how it feels. Pretend Pansy doesn't exist. Then she'll get bored and leave you alone."

"But that's no fun," Kim mumbled. Hermione growled and then walked off.

"_Anyway…_" Ginny thought Kim was being a jerk but didn't care enough about Pansy to fight with her about it. "You don't have time for a dog. You have Quidditch, and the Malfoys are suing the school. They want Buckbeak to be put down at the very least. Hermione wants us to help Hagrid figure out a defense."

Ron threw his hands up in the air. "When will she have time for that? She's already in, like, three places at once. I swear she's been having one on me. There's no way she can be in three places at once."

Kim sighed dramatically as they started walking again. "Yes, Ron. Hermione's been cloning herself just to mess with you."

"She can't be cloning herself," Ginny argued, even though she couldn't come up with a better explanation. "Don't you think we'd notice an extra couple of Hermiones running around?"

"I'd notice," Ron muttered under his breath so Ginny couldn't notice his tone. Kim smirked while Ginny resisted the urge to stomp on both their feet.

"Whatever." Ginny grabbed Kim by her arm and Ron by his other. "Since you two clearly have a lot of time on your hands, we're helping Hagrid. Buckbeak's not going down without a fight."

* * *

By next Saturday, Kim and Neville were getting started on their garden. They tried to see if Hermione wanted to join them, but she had fallen asleep in the Common Room, and they couldn't wake her up long enough to get more than a few words out of her. Kim yawned just thinking about it.

"I don't know how she does it," Kim told Neville as she started yanking out weeds. They were going to get their little patch ready first and plant the seeds tomorrow. "Vector's class is hard enough."

"Try Professor Trelawney." Neville shivered. There were only so many times one could take being told they were going to die without getting freaked out. "The other day, she said I'd die in a unicorn stampede. She told Ron that his first love would stomp all over his heart and that his true love will fight with her over him."

Kim wrinkled her nose at the thought of girls fighting over Ron. Lavender Brown vs Hermione: fight to the death. "Ew."

"I think this is a nice spot, don't you think?" Draco. Of course. He was a ways away, far enough away to pretend he couldn't see them. If he was picking a tree to try to make out with Pansy under, she was going to get up and leave, although not until she chucked her trowel at them.

Pansy giggled as Draco put an arm around her waist. Kim grabbed her trowel and tightened her grip on it. "I think it's wonderful, Drakey-poo." Neville snickered as Kim started to resemble a cat with water thrown on it more and more. Pansy was also pretending not to see them and pointed to a nearby hill. "We can watch from up there."

"You won't be scared?" Draco turned so he was facing Kim and Neville. Kim could've sworn he was staring her dead in the eye. "When they chop its head off?"

Kim let out a strangled cry as they walked away laughing and holding hands. She was suddenly glad that Hermione wasn't around because she would remind her that something like this always happened right after she was particularly cruel to Pansy. "How could he…?"

Neville smiled sadly as she hung her head. "I don't think he can help it."

"I used to think he could." Kim felt her throat constrict slightly and shook her head to herself. He wasn't worth getting upset over. He never was.

"It's okay, you know." Neville bit his lip like he disagreed with himself. His voice was a little strained but eventually went back to normal. "To fancy him even if you don't like him. I-I mean, look at Ron and Hermione." He chuckled and slid his eyes to their little dirt patch.

Kim's eyes popped out of her head and her grip loosened on the trowel. "I-I don't _fancy_ him! Are you crazy?!"

"No. I just know you well." He smiled again, although it was more awkward than sad this time. "I used to… Never mind."

_What? You used to what?_ Kim wanted to ask but didn't have the heart to do so. It wasn't fair to him. Knowing her face was probably the color of the inside of the watermelon, she whispered, "I wish it was you instead."

Neville pulled a face like he was going to make some sort of joke like _My gran wishes too_ but decided against it. Instead, he grabbed his own trowel and started digging. "C'mon. We've got to get started. I've already lost the bubotuber seeds. If we don't hurry, I might lose the aconite."

Kim let out a watery laugh and started ripping out weeds as if she was ripping the hair out of Draco's head. "You know what? Screw Draco! Who needs assholes like him when I've got great friends like you?"

Neville stared as she growled while yanking at a particularly tough weed. _You, apparently._ But he supposed it didn't matter. Malfoy would stop being a git eventually. Perhaps around the time Kim learned to control her jealousy. That'll be interesting. Maybe he'll benefit too, since Snape will be out for Malfoy's blood instead of his own. He smirked as he started loosening up the dirt while Kim was fighting her battle with the weeds. That'll be a most interesting day indeed.

* * *

To be honest, Draco wasn't paying much attention to the Quidditch game. He was paying more attention to Pansy still fawning over his arm. He vaguely wondered if she actually believed he was hurt or was simply looking for an excuse to coddle him. It didn't matter, he supposed. As pathetic as it sounded, it felt good to have Pansy worry about him.

But towards the end of the match, something else caught her attention. "Oooh!" Pansy giggled and pointed at the sky. "Look at her go! Her fat head's going to crack open like an egg!"

Draco blinked and turned away from his girlfriend, who he was about to kiss on the cheek. "What?"

The screams drowned out whatever response Pansy was laughed out, but when Draco finally spotted what all the fuss was about, his heart sunk faster than Kim. There was no way she was going to survive this! Oh Merlin. She was going to die right in front of him! He should have told her how much he—

Dumbledore had stopped her fall before Draco could even finish the thought. There was a bright light, and all the coldness he was just starting to notice was already disappearing. What the bloody hell happened?!

"Oh, what a shame." Deadpanned, Daphne stood on her tippy toes as if that would give her a better view of Kim lying on the Quidditch field. Her mouth was turned into a disappointed pout, like a little kid whose crup puppy refused to do a new trick. "I wonder if the fall at least forced some of the air out of her head."

Pansy laughed loudly, in a way that sometimes made him cringe. "Isn't that funny, Drakey—" She turned to see Draco tense and covering his mouth as if he were about to be sick. "What's the matter, Draco? We wouldn't have seen the blood from here!"

Forcing himself to calm down, Draco straightened up. "I know." He smiled weakly. "Actually, I started rushing to the edge of the stand to get a better look. I banged my arm." From behind him, Draco heard Blaise snort. "The pain made me feel sick. Can we head to the dungeons to get my potion?"

Draco almost felt guilty when Pansy's eyes filled with worry and fear. She clapped her hands together. "Are you sure you don't want to go see Madam Pomfrey? She can give you something stronger!"

Knowing that would make him as high as a kite and sick later since he wasn't in actual pain, Draco shook his head and feigned disgust. "Everyone will be fussing over _her._ Merlin, she's annoying even when she's unconscious. I'll take my chances with the over the counter stuff."

Pansy nodded and put a hand behind his back as if he needed her support. "But tell me if you feel any differently. Promise?"

Draco almost winced at her choice of words. He swallowed at the lump in his throat and then nodded in return. "Promise."

* * *

"She'll wake up soon, Severus." Remus wanted desperately to tease Severus about how worried he was, but right now, he was about as pale as Kim was and couldn't stop shaking. Because her bed was surrounded by Gryffindors, Severus kept his distance in Madame Pomfrey's office to pace and rant and rave about dementors. That is, until one of his fellow snakes decided to stop by.

"I have every right to see her as you do!" they heard a boy shout from outside the office door. When Severus connected the voice with its proper name, he almost groaned as the boy started bickering with the Gryffindors. Not another one!

Head already pounding, Severus threw open the door to Madame Pomfrey's office and stomped out. "What is the problem, Mr. Zabini?" He wanted to add, _What? Are you the replacement stalker for Mr. Malfoy?_ But he knew he couldn't embarrass him in front of the other snot nosed brats.

In an instant, Blaise switched from annoyed and resentful to smug and excited. That is, until he saw that Severus was far from amused. He gulped but still managed to sound sure of himself. "Kim's my friend. So I wanted to make sure none of the rumors were true and see her myself."

At this point, Severus wanted to bang his head against the wall. Only two out of four-no _five_ of her close friends were female. Luckily, from what he could gather, the older boys thought she was a demented imp who was too thin to be attractive. Although, he did nearly gag when he heard a fourth year Hufflepuff say she was 'too close to being flat chested.' He was beginning to think all teenage boys were disgusting.

"She's mentioned you a few times." Leave it to Lupin to find this funny. Severus wanted to hex the sickly fool again so badly. The wolf seemed to sense his boiling temper, which only made the damn twinkle in his eyes brighter. "She said you called her boring on the first day of school."

Blaise shrugged. "I don't like catty girls."

"See! He doesn't know her!" Ron yelled from the background. "Ow!"

Hermione was obviously behind him and harmed poor Ron in some way, but Remus and Severus couldn't see because that meant she was also behind the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team. "She isn't catty, Ron! She's just… _brusque_... Yes. That's a good word for her."

Barely awake, Kim moaned and forced her eyes slightly open. "What…what'd you call me, 'Mione?"

Everyone spun around, and Blaise looked rather silly, sauntering over to her bed well Remus rushed over as fast as he could. The Slytherin boy grinned triumphantly. "Go on. Tell these Gryffindorks that we're friends."

Kim rubbed her eyes and sat up slowly. "We're friends. Now buzz off, Blaise. I don't feel good."

Ron glared at Blaise, already hating him. At least he wasn't Malfoy. "Such a close friendship you guys have."

Unfazed, Blaise grinned charmingly. "It's either me or the… what did you call him… 'the albino prince, the purest angle of all?'"

Some of the color returned to Kim's face, and she shot up, making herself dizzy. "Blaise!"

"That's it! Everyone out!" Severus shouted. Everyone scrambled away as fast as their pathetic Gryffindor legs could carry them. Everyone that is, except the Weasley twins, who both paused to give Blaise a high five. "I SAID OUT!"

George winked while Fred snapped his fingers and pointed at Kim, who was beyond mortified. "This one's a keeper."

Blaise laughed as they finally left. "They're a lot nicer than everyone says."

"No, they're not!" Kim put her face in her hands, not even wanting to know what happened at the match.

"Here." Like last time, Remus handed her a giant mug filled with hot chocolate. Kim gripped it tightly to try to warm her icy fingers and winced when they started to burn. He ran a hand through her hair. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

"And when I said everyone, I meant you too, Mr. Zabini," Severus said at the same time.

Blaise sighed dramatically as if he thought Severus was being unreasonable and mean spirited, but Kim could tell by his eyes that he wasn't bothered in the slightest. He smiled in an almost cocky way that made her involuntarily smile back. "I'll tell the albino prince that you're alright. He worries, and I enjoy teasing him about it."

Immediately after Blaise left, Severus had to put his two cents in. Kim didn't know what was worse. His words or that later Remus would say it was 'cute.' Severus drawled, "That was one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen in my entire life."

Kim hummed in agreement and took a sip of her hot chocolate to hide her smile. "I can't help it. _Everyone_ loves me."

Gritting his teeth, Severus muttered something under his breath about bigheaded Potters before turning heel and stomping off. Kim would've laughed at him, if she didn't feel like she had just gotten over the flu. He was just too easy to get all worked up.

"He was very worried about you," Remus whispered as if Severus was still close enough to hear him. "And I was too. Do you remember what happened?"

Kim shivered. Yes, she most certainly did. The woman pleading to be killed, and the baby screaming so loud that even the memory gave her a headache. Not wanting to talk about it, she asked, "Did we lose the match? I didn't see Wood. Is he mad at me?"

Remus had no idea if the boy was, but he was sure to have a long talk with him if actually held it against Kim for fainting. Hopefully not since he was already going to have to fight with Severus over Kim staying on the team. That was sure to be a joy. "No. I think he's… _grieving_, I suppose. Mr. Diggory caught the snitch before he realized what was happening, and he wants a rematch. Madame Hooch doesn't agree, unfortunately."

Mad at herself, Kim looked down at her still steaming mug. "I wish I was stronger."

"No… It's not…" Remus felt his eyes widen. He should've explained it to her right after the train ride. He was too worried about what happened with Sirius and about her hearing Lily to think straight. "It's not a matter of weakness, Kim. It's… They are attracted to the horrors you've faced. And they make you relive your worst. So… They take more from you than they do others."

_I don't want to hear her! I've never heard her speak before today. __**Never!**_ Kim squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the mug so tightly that her fingers slipped, causing her to spill a little on her lap. "Remus… I want to be alone for a while."

* * *

"So I take it you don't approve of her going to Diagon Alley to get a new broom." Remus liked to think he was brave asking Severus this while he was making his wolfsbane, but when Severus stopped to glare at him, he almost took a step back. Fred and George had brought Kim the pieces to her broom the next morning after saving it from the Whomping Willow. She had glared at the broom as if it was at fault but kept the pieces anyway, making Remus feel guilty. If it wasn't for him, the Whomping Willow would've never have been planted in the first place.

Severus clenched his jaw. "Why would I do that, when it would be much more entertaining to throw this boiling potion in your face?"

"Severus," Remus tried.

"No!" Severus slammed the knife down that he was using to cut out the aconite flowers. "Tell Wood that he needs to find another bloody seeker, Lupin. Albus is too incompetent to keep the dementors at bay. She could have _died_, Lupin. Don't you understand that?"

Not expecting him to react so strongly, Remus held up his hands in surrender. "I-I know. But it's not fair to her. She already can't go to Hogsmeade, and she's so embarrassed. The fainting makes her feel weak, Severus. If she plays Quidditch, she might get some of her confidence back."

Severus's eyes widened like he thought Remus was out of his mind. "Oh, because if there's one thing she lacks, it's confidence. What about death do you not understand? It means she won't wake up in the Hospital Wing to flirt with her latest stalker. It's permanent, as in she'll be gone forever!"

"We could teach her how to fight them," Remus said quietly. Severus talking about Kim being dead made his heart thump uncomfortably in his chest, but he couldn't let her think that she had to give up.

"The charm is too advanced," Severus snapped, thinking that Remus was an idiot. She was thirteen years old for Merlin's sake! And every school year she nearly fell from her broom to her death for one reason or another.

"She can do it," Remus insisted, sounding more sure of himself than he felt. Her grades in Charms were decent enough, and from how scared Severus was, it was her only hope.

"We'll see about that." He could tell from Severus's tone that he strongly doubted that was the answer to the problem, but they had to try. Kim had until the next game to learn, and he had to have full confidence in her.

* * *

Because they were Severus's spies, Kim didn't tell Ron and Hermione that she was sneaking off to Hogsmeade. She'd tell Neville later, after Sever was safe and sound in Gryffindor Tower.

Fred and George gave her the Marauder's Map after hearing her trying to get Hermione to hex Gilderoy Lockhart while Ron snatched her dog back. She felt excitement bubble through her as she looked at the Map again while walking through the tunnel. This was her dad's! Once she got Sever back, she'd give it to Remus. Surely he lost it and would be happy to get it back. So happy that he wouldn't question how she retrieved Sever.

It didn't take long to find Lockhart. He was prancing about the streets, acting like he was protecting students. Kim seriously doubted he would notice her taking her dog back.

"Psst!" she hissed under her invisibility cloak after getting as close to the black dog as she could. "Sever!"

The dog's ears twitched, and he tensed as if someone was going to hit him. Kim frowned. He obviously could hear her but probably didn't recognize his new name. Were dogs smart enough to follow their owners without seeing them?

"Chicken Finger!" He tensed even more. "It's me! C'mon. Don't be afraid of this jerk! Let's go home!"

Kim strained her ears to hear the dog whine slightly and try to trot away. She must've been scaring him since he couldn't actually see her. Slowly, she reached out to touch him, thinking he would smell her hand and realize it was her.

As if she had slapped him, Sever yelped and started running over to Lockhart. Still invisible, Kim stood up, not willing to believe that her dog would choose Lockhart over her. Furious, she bent down and picked up a rock, lifting the cloak for a second to chuck it at him.

It hit Lockhart square in the back of the head, and he immediately started panicking. He screamed and flailed about as if someone were trying to curse him. Kim knew it was impulsive, but she never imagined he would go into full on panic mode.

"IT'S SIRUS BLACK!" Lockhart waved his arms about to gain as much attention as possible. "EVERYONE EVACUATE! SIRIUS BLACK IS ATTACKING HOGSMEADE!"

As expected, chaos ensued. If anyone could see them, Kim was sure her eyes would be as wide as dinner plates. She had to get out of here. If no one saw her until she was trampled, Remus and Severus would kill her if they found out she snuck off to Hogsmeade, especially if they believed that Padfoot was actually here.

* * *

Sirius felt bad about trying to ignore Kimmy a few weeks ago and then running off after she touched him, but he couldn't possibly live at Hogwarts. Remus didn't know what to think about him, so it was likely that he might panic and serve him to Snape on a silver platter. Sirius desperately wished he could trust him, but Remus made a lot of mistakes that were borderline unforgivable. The only reason that he wasn't angry with the other man was because he had made quite a few mistakes himself.

Lately, Sirius had been doubting himself and wondering if he was going to spend the rest of his days as Lockhart's lapdog. That little rat really found himself the perfect position. Perhaps if the boy went home for Christmas, he could try to find him on the train…

_"Why do you live so far away?"_ Crookshanks. He was trotting towards the Hog' s Head, where Sirius was lounging outside in the cool autumn air. Sirius squinted and could just make out a roll of paper in his mouth.

_"I told you. Remus will recognize me." _Sirius eyed the paper warily. Unless it was a list of passwords, it wasn't going to do any good. Since cats can't read, he had no idea how he was going to explain that to Crookshanks. He figured it was a map, which would be worthless. He knew Hogwarts like the back of his hand. Er, well, paw.

With a huff, Crookshanks dropped the paper at Sirius's feet. _"I took this from the nice one. It's a list of passwords for the next few weeks."_

It must've been rather comical to see a dog gape like an idiot. Thinking it was too good to be true, Sirius unrolled the paper with his nose. It-it had the passwords until Valentine's Day! _"How…"_

_"It doesn't matter." _Crookshanks licked his lips at the sound of a mouse squeaking in a nearby trashcan. _"Get the rat human before the snow melts. Once it gets warm, he's bound to flee."_

Sirius had no idea how to thank Crookshanks, especially since he was a dog. He'll have to make sure to show his gratitude once all this was over. _"I will," _he promised. _"But first… I have to get Kimmy her Christmas present. In about a week, I'll be gone for a couple of days."_

Crookshanks made a noise that sounded like he was laughing at him as he stalked over to the trashcan with the mouse. _"Fine. Fine. Stupid human... You have to catch your prey while you have the chance!"_

Sirius flinched as there was a crash, and Crookshanks caught the mouse. He would've agreed, if that course of action hadn't ended so badly back in 1981. For now, he had to make sure he was careful. Because Peter wasn't his prey. He was his freedom.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! So when I had Neville almost say that he used to like Kim, I meant in like first year and briefly. I don't want all of her friends to be in love with her, and I'm starting to lean towards her getting together with Blaise for next year. :) Please review!**


	8. The Internal Struggle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Thank you Emarye and sharkmm for reviewing!**

**Emarye: Yes they will. Next book. :)**

**sharkmm: Shrug. That's Draco for you. I think Kim's being a little brat too though. But you're going to hate him in the chapter titled The Second Kiss. ;)**

**A/N: I got the timeline a little mixed up and had to squeeze this chapter in to what I originally had planned (which is why the chapter title isn't the greatest), so I was going to keep the Christmas chapter pretty much canon, but then I thought the idea of writing pretty much the same as PoA was boring (meaning I just didn't want to rewrite what happened in the book), so I added a little drama to it and changed some things around. :)**

Chapter 8 The Internal Struggle

When Remus and Severus sat Kim down in an empty classroom, she thought for sure that they had found out that she had been sneaking to Hogsmeade to try to get Sever back. She felt like she was sweating bullets and tried her best to smile. She probably looked demented.

Severus instantly caught on and narrowed his eyes. "We are very disappointed in you, Kimberly."

Remus blinked. "Wha—Ow!" Severus elbowed him in the ribs.

Kim looked between the two of them. She fell for this all the time with Uncle Vernon but could never figure out when he actually knew what she did or if he was only pretending to know. Plus, Severus was a much better actor. It would be better to let something minor slip out. "I-I didn't know Pansy would start choking when I slipped Colin's brother's baby tooth in her oatmeal!"

Luckily, Severus fell for it since it happened this morning, and Pansy started crying hysterically when she realized she swallowed the tooth. "Kimberly! She could have died!"

"It was a tooth!" Kim shot back. "She only choked because she panicked when she realized something hard was in her food!"

"Never mind! We'll talk about it later!" Remus said quickly before they could start fighting. The rivalry between those two girls was getting way out of hand. "We actually wanted to teach you the Patronus Charm."

"The what?" Kim asked Remus, keeping her eyes on Severus to see if he was going to start screaming like he desperately wanted to.

Remus snuck a quick glance at Severus. He was surprised the two of them hadn't gotten into another big fight over Kim terrorizing Pansy. "It's a way to fight dementors. Severus is fearful of what could happen if you continue to play Quidditch."

"Shut up, Lupin!" Severus pinched the bridge of his nose as if he thought Remus was saying something so ridiculous that he was already losing patience with the man. He took a deep breath before folding his arms over his chest and wouldn't meet either of their eyes. "It's a complex charm that many adults can't master. So don't be surprised if you can't manage it."

Kim stared at the both of them. Remus seemed torn between amusement and admonishing Severus while Severus was being his usual pissed off self. Nothing out of the ordinary here. She took out her wand, craning her neck slightly as if a dementor was waiting behind them. "Okay. I'm ready."

Severus made a sound that resembled something between a laugh and a scoff. "First of all, we are not bringing a dementor into the castle for you to fight. Second of all, wouldn't you like to hear an incantation before charging headfirst into battle?"

Kim pouted slightly but was still too relieved that she hadn't been caught with going to Hogsmeade to care too much. She lowered her wand and stuck her nose in the air. "That would be nice, yes."

_"Expecto Patronum."_ Remus smiled as Severus pretended to be getting impatient. "The trick is that you have to think of a powerfully happy memory while casting it." He took out his own wand and cast the charm silently to reveal his bright silvery white wolf. "With lots of practice, it'll form into an animal. The type of animal that is most connected to your soul."

Kim cocked her head to the side and reached out to touch the wolf. The Patronus leaned its head into her hand but was so cold that she jumped back. It was just like touching snow, only it wasn't solid. Almost reluctantly, she turned away and waited for Severus to show her his. When it was clear that she was being ignored, she nosily asked, "What's yours?"

Severus bristled in a way that told Kim that she had crossed some invisible line that he was never going to willingly explain. Instead, he snapped, "It doesn't matter, brat. Are you going to try to cast the charm or not? You've already wasted too much time."

"You've already wasted too much time," Kim mumbled obnoxiously to herself. Expecting a giant wolf to pop out of her wand and jump in Severus's face, she pointed her want at him and yelled, _"Expecto Patronum!"_

Severus sighed irritably when nothing happened. "Think of a happy memory, Kimberly. Otherwise, you'll only embarrass yourself further."

"I'm not embarrassed!" Kim hissed, even though her face felt rather hot.

Remus glared at Severus. If he was going to act like this, he shouldn't have come. "I know it's hard to think of something so simple on the spot. Neville's boggart, perhaps, will be good enough to start you off?"

Severus scowled, but Kim brightened up. The Weasley twins still did crude imitations of what they thought Severus would be like if he was a woman. He most certainly would not wear black lipstick!

_I like the memory of our first Christmas better._ Kim decided to keep that thought to herself so Severus would think she was going to cast the charm with the memory of him in drag. Maybe the distraction of revenge was what messed her up this time. Still pointing her wand at Severus, Kim was sure this time a giant, monstrous wolf was going to burst out of her wand as she cast proudly, _"Expecto Patronum!"_

A chalky, dusty looking poof came out of her wand, not even strong enough to reach Severus's face. Kim wanted to throw her wand across the room when Severus raised his eyebrows, surprised that _that_ even happened.

"Excellent!" What the heck?! Remus sounded just as surprised as Severus! Kim thought herself decent enough at Charms. "Now, try to think of a happier memory. And we'll try to work on how easily you get distracted."

Kim's eyes popped out of her head as Severus smirked. Slowly, she lowered her wand. That was her happier memory, damn it! They were going to be there all night!

* * *

"It's awful, Hermione!" Kim whined to her friend one evening in the Common Room while she helped her wrap the Herbology book for Remus that Neville picked up for her at Hogsmeade. "After hours and hours and hours and weeks and weeks and weeks, all I can get out is a kind of a thick fog!"

Hermione laughed as she tied a gold bow on the gift. "It's only been three weeks! And you only learn once a week! I read about the charm. You're so lucky! Flitwick doesn't teach it to the end of _seventh year_. And as extra credit once finals are over!"

"You can always come and help me," Kim said grumpily despite the fact that she had a strong feeling that if Hermione learned one more thing this week that her head would explode and _Hogwarts, A History_ facts would start flying all over the place.

Ron returned from the kitchens from where he was picking up all the cupcakes he could carry. He dumped them on the coffee table in the center of the Common Room, ignoring Hermione's cry of outrage at how close they were to her precious books. Trying his best not to look at her death stare, Ron grabbed the nearest cupcake and took a big bite. "'Mione just doesn' wanna be alone wi' Snape!"

Hermione shuddered in revulsion. "Honestly, Ronald. Must you always talk with your mouth full?"

Kim hummed contently as they bickered back and forth while she signed Remus's card. Remus was going to be sick this Christmas, so Ron and Hermione promised to stay with her. She planned to get Crookshanks high on catnip so he wouldn't bother Scabbers, so all was going to be right with the world. Hopefully it'll be the second best Christmas ever.

* * *

"Sir…" Draco closed his eyes in embarrassment. Whenever he got nervous lately, his voice sounded rather raspy. Severus acted like he didn't notice and kept grading a test at his desk. Draco supposed he should be grateful but was too mortified really think about it. "I, er, heard her talking to Granger and Weasley and…"

Growling slightly, Severus gripped his quill a little tighter before writing a nasty comment on a sixth year Hufflepuff's test. "Don't tell me you started stalking her again, Draco. Is that the real reason you skipped dinner with Druella? To follow Kimberly while Pansy isn't around?"

"No!" Draco nearly yelled, wincing at how defensive he sounded. He did not _stalk_ her! He simply liked to follow her around from time to time to see what she was up to.

Resisting the urge to groan, Severus rubbed at his eyes. He was only a child, a child who obviously couldn't express how he felt without being either cruel or disturbingly creepy. The things he put up with for his godson... "Fine. Then what do you want to tell me, Draco?"

Draco bit his lip, like he wasn't sure how Severus was going to react. He ran a hand through his hair and started stuttering. "I-It's n-not because I'm worried about her or anything. I can't _stand_ her. _And_ she keeps call Pansy Pugsy."

"She does what?" Severus snapped his quill, causing Draco to flinch. Again, there was that funny look Severus got whenever Kim picked on Pansy.

"So I'm not saying it because she's my friend or anything," Draco said hurriedly, hoping Severus would ignore the blush creeping into his cheeks too. "I just don't want her to have a Firebolt, that's all."

"A what?" Half of Severus's mind was drifting back to twenty years ago when he was being called Snivellus, and Lily would defend him. This is exactly what he thought she was. Just like her father. If only he could tell her without lying that there was a snowball's chance in hell she could win her Lily.

"The broom…" Draco almost cowered when Severus glared at him as if to say _I know._ Almost. "Well… She got one for Christmas, and Granger's worried about it being hexed by Black. So she's flying it around the Common Room to prove that it isn't."

How unfortunate for Kimberly that Lupin happened to be ill with the flu along with his lycanthropy. The wolf was pretty much incapacitated and could barely sit up, let alone defend her. Severus threw what was left of the quill down and rose from his seat. "Not to worry, Draco. She won't be flying it any time soon. You can tell the other member of the fan club."

"Other member…" Draco frowned as Severus rolled his eyes and started to leave. When it finally clicked, he jumped out of his seat and called out, "He's only pretending to like her to tease me." Severus ignored him and slammed the door behind him. Since he was alone, Draco asked himself, "Right?"

* * *

Still roiled up from the Pugsy incident, Severus nearly threw a fit when he approached Minerva about this. However, one stern look from her forced him to calm down. But only a bit. The two of them marched to the Common Room to find Kimberly with her back turned to them, hanging upside down from broom while chattering to Granger. Weasley was the first to notice them and turned as white a sheet.

"See Hermione?" All Severus could see of the girl's head was a hanging curtain of red hair, but he was sure that she had a rather smug smile on her face. "If this had a curse on it, I'd be splattered against the wall by now. What?"

Kimberly was referring to Granger's wide terrified eyes as Severus took a few steps closer to them. She remained oblivious until he uncurled one skinny leg from the broom and then another. It was quite satisfying to hear her thump to the ground.

"Severus!" In Severus's eyes, Minerva was too soft on her students. He sneered at her as she rushed over to Kimberly and helped her up. "You can't remove her from it without knowing what could happen!"

"Well she isn't splattered against the wall," Severus drawled.

Kim shrunk back but then, decided to be brave and make herself as tall as possible. "It's not cursed. It was a gift."

"From whom?" Severus wanted to laugh at her when she shrunk again. Instead, he kept his demeanor as cold as possible as he held out his hand. "Give me the letter."

Much to Severus's irritation, Granger finally found her voice and piped up. "I tried to take it from her, and she ate it."

"Hermione!" Kim hissed. Ron made a noise in the background that sounded like he was desperately trying to suppress a laugh.

Why? Why did he even bother? Severus felt a migraine coming on as Minerva tried to stop the girls from bickering and drag Kimberly to the Hospital Wing at the same time. He almost turned around and left when Kimberly yelled for all to hear, "I already pooped it out!"

Severus closed his eyes in revulsion. The only joy that he was going to get out of this Christmas was the fact that he was going to get to make Lupin have a stroke about it tomorrow. And that punishing Kimberly was almost like punishing Potter for calling him Snivellus. He grabbed her arm.

"We'll see about that," he snapped. Ignoring her protesting loudly and dragging her feet, Severus yanked at her arm and continued walking. "Next time you do something you shouldn't, remember that you had to have your stomach pumped."

* * *

"Remus!" Kim waited by his bed so she could get to him before Severus did. Once Remus started to stir and open his eyes, she pounced and started tattling. "Severus knocked me off my broom, grabbed my arm, and had Madame Pomfrey take all the Christmas cookies out of me!"

"Huh…?" Remus forced his eyes open but could still only squint at her. "What are you talking about, sweetheart?"

"She is referring to the fact that Black sent her a broom and a letter for Christmas." As scary as ever, Severus burst into the Hospital Wing unannounced. He raised his eyebrows as she suddenly became very interested in the ceiling. "Or did you leave that little detail out, Kimberly?"

Remus was starting to sit up, meaning that he was wide awake now and didn't seem to be taking her side. Kim thinned her lips. She didn't even get to say that Severus ruined Christmas. Time for distraction number two. "Padfoot said that you're lying to me, Remus. But not to be mad at you because you're panicking." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I won't be mad if you tell me. He said you have to tell me."

Kim honestly thought that she was going to kill two birds with one stone. Remus wasn't going to go bananas over the Firebolt, _and_ she was going to get to hear the secret. She was hoping that it was something really cool like that she was part elf or had cool super powers or something. Not like Dobby, but like the elves in those _Lord of the Rings_ books that Hermione likes so much.

What she didn't expect at all was Remus freaking out at the thought of her even knowing that there was a secret in the first place. That along with the fact that he was still sick from the flu and the fast approaching full moon should have made her think about how to bring it up with Remus first. _Be gentle_, that was what Hermione said when they talked about it last night. Who would've thought that listening to her would do any good?

And so, Kim didn't expect Remus to turn green and vomit his potions from the night before all over the fuzzy lion slippers that Neville got her for Christmas. Her eyes widened, and she could practically _feel_ Severus grinning evilly from behind her. Madame Pomfrey banned her from the Hospital Wing before she could say Quidditch.

* * *

"And I didn't even get to hear the secret," Kim complained to Blaise while they drank hot chocolate in the kitchens once Christmas break was over. "Who do you think snitched me out?"

Blaise snickered and took a sip from his mug. After Christmas breakfast, Draco flooed back to Hogwarts. His grandmother Druella fought with Abraxas constantly, so his mother let him hide at school for the day to skip out on dinner with the family. Abraxas thought it was funny because Draco tricked him into thinking he was only hiding from Druella instead of the both of them. "Whoever it is has a stick up his arse."

"Emhm." Kim grinned, showing off a hot chocolate mustache. Blaise thought it was so cute that he had to look away. "And now Remus is avoiding me. I don't want to know the secret _that_ bad."

Blaise was sure that only made her want to know the secret more. "With our class, his boggart turned into a guy with messy black hair. He distracted it after a snake tried to swallow Theo whole."

"Ew." Kim wrinkled her nose and shivered. The thought of being swallowed... Disgusting. "But that's my dad. Why would he be scared of my dad?"

Blaise shook his head. The bloke was closer to their age, but if Lupin knew him as a kid it would make sense. "I guess. But he was about our age. And your dad was mad at _him_. Said he abandoned him."

At that moment, Blaise immediately regretted saying what was on his mind for the first time in a while. Kim's eyes lit up, and she asked excitedly, "Do you think that means my dad's still alive? Only lost somewhere, and Remus feels guilty for giving up on looking for him? Because I definitely wouldn't be angry with him about that! He shouldn't be afraid. We could look together!"

_No… I don't think that's it._ Blaise looked away, not having the heart to tell her, especially since he had no idea what else it could be. "Maybe… But you shouldn't get your hopes up."

* * *

But Kim did get her hopes up. By the time Remus stopped avoiding her (which was a good week after classes resumed), she was convinced that her dad was alive. She studied with Hermione every night to try to push her Defense grades up, so that by the time Remus told her, she would be ready to find her father with him. She didn't dare tell anyone but Neville, thinking her other friends would shoot her down and say she was being stupid.

"Maybe it isn't that he's lost," Neville mumbled as they fertilized their garden. He bent his head over the plants, so it looked like he was concentrating on them instead of hiding his face. "Maybe You-Know-Who did something to him. Something that made him not himself. Like losing all his memories or something. And Professor Lupin doesn't want you to see his best friend like that."

Kim froze while in the middle of reaching for her squirt bottle. Neville could be right. What he described was the nightmare version of the fantasy she cooked up in her head. She wouldn't want to see her dad like that either. But it was better than him being dead. Wasn't it?

"Think about it," Neville pressed. He tore his face away from the garden to let her see how shaken up he was. "It would be horrifying."

"I'd still want to know," Kim insisted, sounding like she was trying to convince herself. It made sense. Remus's boggart might've been a younger version of her dad because that was how he wanted to remember James. If that was the case, she would have to be brave and see her dad anyway.

Kim and Neville continued to work in silence. The whole time, she was telling herself that she'd still want to know. He was her dad, and she loved him no matter what.

She had to force herself not to feel guilty when she stopped hoping that Remus would tell her the secret.

* * *

"The clock is ticking." Severus was in the empty classroom with Remus after Kimberly had gotten frustrated in the middle of the lesson and ran off like the brat that she was. She was still struggling to get more than fog to sprout out of her wand, and the match was in two weeks.

Remus bit back the protest that she would at least be able to keep the dementors at bay until someone intervened. "Something's bothering her."

Severus sneered at him. "Could it be the fact that you are hiding something of great importance from her, Lupin? I know I criticize her, but she isn't as dimwitted as I make her out to be. Since you didn't tell her on Boxing Day that she was going to sprout wings and become a fairy princess on her sixteenth birthday, she has obviously concocted a much darker tale."

"She'll hate me." Remus clenched his fists at how cowardly he sounded. "And I can't even fix it! If I knew I had even the slightest chance of fixing it, I would tell her! But I can't! I don't want her to feel like she's _missing _a part of her that she can never get back."

"Black will tell her." Severus laughed bitterly at how much power the deranged lunatic had. "Or perhaps he already did. I wasn't going to sift through the castle's sewage in search of whatever partially digested evidence she shat out."

Remus put his face in his hands. Sirius would tell her if they ever managed to get face to face. He was probably planning to last year at the courts. "I-I'll tell her this summer. After we get her back. And, if she wants to… We'll go on a trip. And see where things go from there."

The thought of doing so made Severus want to vomit. "You mean _you two_ will go on a trip," he spat. "I will have no part of it!"

Remus jumped when Severus left and slammed the door so hard that he was surprised it didn't break. If only he could stop being such a coward and face the music. He was only making things worse.

* * *

Quidditch kept Kim's mind off her dad for a while. It wasn't exactly a choice because once her mind started to drift for more than two seconds, Wood would have a fit and practically cry while going on a rant that this was his last chance to win the Cup. Wood had them practicing day and night, so Kim forced herself not to think about her dad. After a while, she started to believe herself when she kept repeating in her head that it wasn't true. It was just wishful thinking. Wishful thinking that snowballed out of control and turned into a horrible nightmare.

That's what Kim was thinking as she watched Wood give his usual speech. She cheered when everyone else did but wasn't fully back to reality until she mounted her Firebolt. Kim smiled as she sped towards the sky. After McGonagall said she was going to strip it, she thought she was never going to get it back, especially since Severus knew it was from Padfoot. There was no proof, McGonagall had to remind him two weeks before the match, and Kim could practically see the smoke building up in his brain and threatening to come out of his ears. She laughed to herself as she looped around the Quidditch field. McGonagall sure loved Quidditch.

When Kim saw the Snitch, she could already taste the strawberry shortcake that Wood promised her if they won. As she reached out for it, she was thinking of a comeback for when Fred and George said she was like Wood's puppy who would do anything for treats.

But when she saw the dementors walking across the field, her hand faltered, and she almost fell off her broom. It was odd. She had never seen a dementor _walk_ before. Slowly, Kim took out her wand. Hopefully Severus was wrong and that "the spider webs" as he called them this morning while arguing with McGonagall would do the trick.

_Think about Christmas first year! Think about Christmas first year!_ Kim chanted to herself as she pointed her wand at the dementors. _And don't think about Severus's creepy smile!_ Kim laughed to herself when that reminded her of telling Fred and George about Severus smiling. It was the first time she had a good family memory _and _friends to make fun of it with. She took a deep breath and yelled, _"Expecto Patronum!"_

Silvery white burst out as if she had a spray can in her hand instead of her wand. Her wand was pointed at the dementors, but her eyes were darting around to find the Snitch again. Before she knew it, Kim caught the Snitch and was speeding towards the ground.

"That's my girl!" Wood bellowed, but Kim pushed past him, practically knocking him to the ground to rush over to Severus and Remus as everyone ran onto the Quidditch field.

"Did you see me? Did you see me?" Kim beamed despite the fact that Severus was far from happy. "I didn't get scared, and I didn't even feel woozy _and_—"

"Because they weren't real." Severus didn't even turn around to look at the "dementors" because he was so angry. Remus smiled weakly and tried to turn her away so she wouldn't see who was hiding under the black, hooded robes.

But it was too late. Kim froze when she saw Draco on the ground and Pansy wobbling as if she had fallen off his shoulders. Crabbe and Goyle were there too along with Marcus Flint. He wouldn't… Yeah, they both pretty much said they hated each other but that neither of them was serious when they said they weren't friends. At least, she wasn't.

Kim stared as McGonagall yelled at them to the point that her face was red as Draco forced himself to stand, and Flint was struggling to help Crabbe out of his robe. What were they trying to accomplish? Reduce her to a puddle of tears so the whole school would laugh at her? She wasn't _that_ much of a baby.

As much as she hated to admit it, it felt good when Blaise stomped over to Draco and punched him right in the nose. McGonagall stopped mid-yell and turned to him. "Mr.-Mr. Zabini! How-Why?" She pointed towards the nearest exit. "Professor Dumbledore's office! Now! I don't care if it's broken, Mr. Malfoy! Quit blubbering or I won't let Poppy into the Headmaster's office."

"C'mon, Kim!" George ushered her away before Remus could try to say something. Kim was too stunned to fight him.

Fred waggled his eye brows. "It looks like lover boy will have to wait for his thank you kiss!" He turned away from her and called out to everyone, "PARTY IN GRYFFINDOR TOWER!"

Still stunned, Kim gaped as she was led away from the field to the party. Of course Remus heard and was smiling, probably thinking of how he was going to tease her the next time he saw her. Hopefully Severus didn't hear too…

* * *

After the match (and after Draco had his nose mended), Severus sat the boy down in his office. He did his best to sound cold and indifferent and inspected his nails for dirt as he spoke like he could care less about this conversation and had much better things to do. "As a Slytherin, I would think you were better than this, Draco."

Draco gulped, knowing that he had crossed a line. "S-s-sir?"

Severus went on as if Draco hadn't said anything. "A Slytherin wouldn't do something so… _beneath_ him without expecting something out of it. Tell me. What did you have to gain from that little stunt you pulled on the Quidditch field? A peck on the cheek from your girlfriend? A drunken laugh from your grandfather?"

Draco looked at his shoes. Pansy thought it would be funny, but that wasn't the reason he went through with it. "She ruins everything. Blaise won't talk to Pansy now."

Severus snorted. "You mean Mr. Zabini won't _stop _talking to Kimberly." Draco turned crimson, but he spoke over him before he could protest. He was tired of the both of them going mad with jealousy and doing stupid, childish things.

"Let me tell you a few things before you run off to write to Lucius about how unfairly you were treated today. First of all, you are the son I will never have." Draco looked up, hopeful that this conversation was going to take a better turn. Severus quickly shot down such hopes. "However, I am not going to hesitate to tell you that you are more toxic for her than that filthy Muggle boy in Surrey. And by that I mean whatever dysfunctional relationship I'm sure you will eventually form with Kimberly will crash and burn and make you hate each other ten times more than you two little nitwits pretend to currently. So I'd advise you to act like a true Slytherin and do what is to your advantage, which is staying away from her."

"I don't like her!" Draco spat before he could stop himself. She was obnoxious and air-headed, and-and she spit chewed up food in his hair when she spotted him at dinner tonight! "She's an idiot but thinks she's some sort of hero who can do whatever she wants!"

_Oh for Merlin's sake! You're in love with her!_ Severus had to stop himself from shouting. Instead, he kept the same cold, flat tone. "Then I suppose it won't be a problem for you to keep your distance. Stay away from Kimberly, or I'll tell Narcissa about how much of a boar her son has been this school year."

Like any spoiled rotten child, Draco's face scrunched up as if he was ready to throw a tantrum. Because of who he was dealing with, he took a minute to calm down and then got out of his seat. "You aren't fooling me." For a second, Draco strongly reminded Severus of a jealous small child when its parents bring the new baby home. "I know you like her more than me. We all do. Why don't you try to be a Slytherin for once and be loyal to your House?"

Severus rolled his eyes as Draco stormed out and slammed the door behind him. Oh he was most certainly telling Narcissa. Merlin, he couldn't count the number of times Kimberly complained to Lupin about him liking Draco more than her. He couldn't wait for this whole bratty, hormonal puberty phase to be over for the both of them. Hopefully Lupin was wrong, and they wouldn't be married before they turned twenty.

* * *

Sirius howled to himself as he sat outside alone in the wet grass long after the match was over. It was great to see Kimmy on her broom, but he desperately wished he could've actually been there, in the stands with Remus, cheering her on and embarrassing her after she won. Instead, he had to watch from a far as she ran up to Snivellus, excitedly asking him if he saw her. That should be him.

_"Are you still whining like a newborn kitten?"_ Crookshanks asked as he crept up to him. _"Because it's not like you can't go in there right now and expose the human rat!"_

Sirius straightened up, feeling like an idiot. He almost forgot about the list of passwords, which he kept in the leather collar Lockhart had gotten him. _"You're right."_

Crookshanks licked his lips as a beetle flew around his head. _"I usually am."_

Sirius sighed as best as he could as a dog. James would say something like that. And then be so proud of himself that he would stop paying attention to his surroundings and wind up tripping over something. Crookshanks never tripped though. _"Okay… Then I suppose I better go. The boy is bound to be asleep by now."_

_ "You do that."_ Crookshanks jumped in the air and caught the beetle with his paws. Sirius started heading off before he had to watch the cat eat it.

* * *

Sirius didn't change until he reached the portrait. Thankfully, the Fat Lady wasn't there. He did his best to smile charmingly at the knight, who was obviously an idiot. "Banana Fritters."

Sir Cadogan laughed to himself as if he thought the password was extremely clever. "No evil-doer would ever be able to think of such a password!" He waved his sword in the air. "Fancy a duel once you've finished your business in there, my good man?"

Sirius kept the smile on his face, although it was becoming rather strained with the effort not to laugh. "I may have a few things to do first, but if everything goes well, I'll do whatever you want, brave knight."

Sir Cadogan bowed and then swung open the portrait. "I wish you the best of luck with your noble cause!"

"I'm going to need it," Sirius muttered as he stepped into Gryffindor Tower for the first time in seventeen years. Here goes nothing…

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm thinking of combining the next two chapters, so the chapter that I mentioned earlier that would be named The Confession, will be called The Break-In. :) Please review!**


	9. The Break-In

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: Sorry for posting late tonight, or early in the morning for some of you. I've been very busy lately. And Happy Mother's Day!**

**Thank you Emarye, Lizzie Salvatore, and sharkmm for reviewing!**

**Emarye: Next up, Padfoot shall be called Snuffles!**

**Lizzie Salvatore: Yeah… Poor guy. Maybe Sirius will take him up on that duel later.**

**sharkmm: Draco will be a little nicer next chapter! In this chapter, Blaise gets on Severus's bad side!**

Chapter 9 The Break-In

Sirius was freaking out. The rat was nowhere to be found! After ten minutes of silent searching, he was sweating so much that he could feel it dripping from his face. Where the hell was he?!

Because it was dark, Sirius thought an apple on the Weasley boy's nightstand was Wormtail and practically pounced on it. It was gooey, and he nearly cried out, thinking he had squeezed that rat too tightly, causing it to vomit or worse all over him. Bring it closer to his face, Sirius realized it was because it was half an apple covered in peanut butter. He nearly gagged. Who would keep that right next to their head while they were sleeping? Surely he and James weren't that disgusting at thirteen. A Moony-like voice in his head strongly disagreed.

As he put the peanut butter covered apple back on the nightstand, he saw a glint that gave him an idea. A stupid idea, granted, but an idea all the same. Remus would've smacked him upside the head for this, but he was getting desperate. There was a knife beside the half of the apple. If he could just tear a tiny hole in the curtains, he could peek to see if the rat was sleeping in the boy's bed.

The squeaking was what threw him off. He was so close, but Wormtail saw him first and hopped off the bed and started running. Sirius immediately started after him but couldn't help but yell out, "PETER!"

The boy started screaming before Sirius could set foot out the doorway.

* * *

Kim wasn't a particularly heavy sleeper, but she wasn't a very light one either, so when Ron started screaming bloody murder she only halfway opened her eyes and was fully prepared to go back to sleep until something, or rather someone, jumped on her.

"Omphf! Chi-chicken Finger? I-I mean Sever?!" Kim blinked the sleepiness out of her eyes just in time to see her dog jump off her bed and run under it.

Lavender was the first to turn on her light. "Who's screaming?"

Kim sat up and flipped over to peek under her bed. Sever was cowering under it so she chose not to say anything. He obviously didn't want to come out and even let out a little whine when McGonagall rushed in a few minutes later.

The older woman put a hand over her heart. "Oh thank goodness. Mr. Weasley… Perhaps he was dreaming."

"I was not!" Ron called up from the Common Room. Because of how frantic he sounded, Kim found herself momentarily forgetting about Sever and rushing down the stairs with all the other girls.

Ron looked rather… animated. Like he himself couldn't believe what he was saying. His eyes were wild, and he threw his hands about while he spoke as if no one could understand him and that that would somehow help. "Black! Sirius Black was in my room! He was trying to cut me open and—"

Seamus smirked. "Why? Because you have red hair too?"

"It happened!" Ron snapped, sick of everyone thinking he was dreaming. "You saw my curtains. Didn't you?"

Kim thinned her lips as she watched everyone argue. She had a funny feeling that she couldn't shake off. Ron was only believed once Sir Cadogan was questioned, and he became an instant celebrity, and Neville got in serious trouble. The excitement didn't die down, but Kim snuck back upstairs around three in the morning to check on Sever.

* * *

"Severus…" The sun was nearly up, and the emergency staff meeting had finally ended. Remus felt like his heart was going to leap out of his chest the whole time but couldn't bring himself to speak in front of everyone. When Severus turned around and glared at him, he wasn't sure if this was much better. "There-there's something I've been meaning to ask…"

Too sleep deprived to listen to Lupin nervously dance around the subject, Severus sighed in a way that sounded more like a snarl. "What is it, Lupin? And choose your words carefully. Strangling you would only improve my morning."

Remus gulped. He should have spoken up _months_ ago. "That-that dog you took in over the summer… It was black, wasn't it? Huge with pointed ears. And it resembled a grim?"

Severus stopped his angry march to his quarters and spun around to face Remus. "And how would you know that? And please tell me you are being an idiot, and Kimberly told you about him the other day."

Thinking that Severus was going to clock him one, Remus shook his head quickly and took a step back as he help up his hands in surrender. "S-Sirius can… He's an animagus. He can turn into a big black dog."

The silence seemed to stretch on forever. At first, it looked like Severus couldn't really register what Remus had just said. "Lupin…" And then he took out his wand. "Are you kidding me?! Are you fucking kidding me?! Why the fuck didn't you say something in August?"

"I…" Remus still had his hands held up and jumped when Severus hit him with a stinging hex. "I thought that if the stray dog was Sirius that it would've taken her and killed you. I—"

"Should have said something after Kimberly mentioned seeing him!" Severus shouted as he hexed him again. "That curse I put on you didn't alter your memory, Lupin! You could have said it the next day or the next! Not bloody months later!"

Before Remus knew it, Severus had him backed into a wall. He snapped his eyes shut. "I—It happened back when we were in school. I felt like I was letting Albus down."

Severus backed away and threw his hands up in the air. "Like one of his golden boys could ever disappoint him! Who cares, Lupin? Do you realize that I cleaned up his shit while he pranced around my yard? That I was letting that sick bastard sleep in the same bed with her?"

"Do you think she knows?" Remus dared to ask, even though he was starting to feel sick. Maybe it wasn't true. Maybe it was another black dog.

Severus opened his mouth to scream that she probably did but thought better of wasting time and started heading for the Great Hall. If she did know, Kimberly was surely sneaking Black food. Without a word, Severus turned around and strode off.

Unluckily for Kim, well, worse for Sirius, they ran into her on their way to the Great Hall. Running as fast as her little legs could take her, she was chasing Padfoot as he was trying to leave the castle and screaming at the top of her lungs, "COME BACK! **SEVER!** STOP—"

Kim stopped in her tracks and nearly tripped over herself as a flash of green light zipped over Sever, and he started yelping as if someone had burned him. She was too shocked to wonder how he managed to open the door. That light… Where had she seen that light before?

"KIMBERLY!" She cried out when Severus gripped her by her shoulders and spun her around. Distantly, she heard Remus yelling in the background as he tried to catch up but was too focused on Severus's wild black eyes to pay much attention. "Did you know?" he said hoarsely. "Did you know it was him?"

"Who?" Kim squirmed, trying to free herself from his grasp. He was starting to scare her. "S-Severus, I need to catch—"

"BLACK!" he shouted, shaking her slightly. "Did you know that was Black?!"

"Severus!" Remus finally caught up to them and as panting slightly. As weak and sickly as he looked, Kim didn't expect him to be able to push Severus to the ground. "What the hell was that?! That spell could've hit her!"

Okay. Now they both were scaring her. They were fighting like a pair of animals. Kim took a step back, wondering if she could hide out at Hagrid's if she couldn't find Sever.

If Severus was bothered by the slightest that Remus pushed him, he didn't show it and simply stood up as if it didn't happen at all. It was like those movies where someone slaps a hysterical woman to stop her from having a nervous breakdown. When Severus spoke, he was perfectly calm. "I would not have."

Remus took a minute to slow his breathing down. "That's it? She was right behind him, and you sent the Killing Curse hurtling right towards them! Not to mention any other students who could've been running late for breakfast!"

"You were trying to kill my dog!" Kim squeaked, completely oblivious. Why on Earth…

Like the calm before the storm, Severus ignited yet again and rounded on her. "That is no dog! You mean to tell me that you had no idea that that was Black? Well? Answer me, Kimberly!"

"Leave her alone," Remus growled, still shaken up by what had just happened. The curse zipped over her head, and Severus was acting like the worst couldn't have possibly happened. "She clearly has no idea what you're talking about, Severus."

"She knows!" Severus barked. "He's brainwashed her into doing whatever he says! He's going to wait for the right moment, lead her away, and kill her. Is that what you want, Lupin?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Kim screamed, sick of them both of them freaking out about what she supposedly knew without telling her what was going on. She put her hands on her hips and glared at Severus. "Why'd you try to kill Sever? He didn't do anything thing!"

Severus clenched his jaw like he thought she was playing dumb. "Kimberly, when do you and the _dog_ reunite?"

Kim blinked. Oh. Finally catching on, she smiled nervously. "He jumped in my bed a little after Ron started screaming... But hid under it when Lavender turned the lights on."

Remus intervened before Severus could explode. "And you didn't think that was odd?" he prompted. "That he came back right after Sirius Black escaped."

"No…" Kim said innocently while the Severus Snape time bomb was getting ready to blow next to her. "I missed him. And after I heard what happened, I figured Lockhart was here, and Sever chose me instead because I'm a better owner."

"I'm sorry," Remus muttered as Severus started heading towards the door. He ripped it open, probably hoping Sirius was stupid enough to stick around. "When you said you named your dog Chicken Finger, I thought it was brown, at the very least. So I didn't tell you that Sirius can turn into a dog. He's an animagus like Professor McGonagall. Except he can change into a black dog."

After a few minutes, Severus finally gave up and stormed back in. Kim didn't know what to think. They were acting crazy, and it felt like someone just slapped her in the face. Padfoot was with them the whole time? Any they didn't even know it?

Clearly Severus didn't believe that she was as shell shocked as she felt because the second he returned he started bossing her around. "_I _am calling the aurors, and _you_ are telling them every single detail, Kimberly. Black is deranged. Once he can't find the Dark Lord, he'll kill you himself."

"I don't believe you," Kim whispered so low that she had to strain her ears to hear herself.

* * *

The aurors asked so many questions that Kim felt like her brain was fried by the end of the day. She would take class with Professor Binns over that any day. Speaking of which, that's where she was currently supposed to be, but she had to act fast.

All Kim really had to say (while Severus was practically breathing down her neck) was that she had a black dog that matched the description Remus gave the aurors, but somehow, they turned that into something complicated. She believed it was more out of loyalty to Alastor, who was on Padfoot's side. They asked for every little detail. When she met the dog, was it always friendly, did he ever try to lead her away, did he try to communicate with her? Afterwards, they told Severus that they would talk to their superiors about it and try to get a warrant for Gilderoy Lockhart's dog the next morning. Needless to say, Severus hexed one of them and only stopped threatening the other when he himself was threatened with being arrested.

And so, Kim only had a few hours before the aurors were going to take Padfoot from Lockhart's. She had to warn him.

She snuck in the same way she snuck into Hogsmeade last time and snooped around under her Invisibility Cloak until she found Lockhart enjoying a late breakfast. Nervous, Kim breathed as quietly as she could while following him around. Hopefully wherever he was staying wasn't being ransacked by now.

Luckily, Lockhart had to head back home for his afternoon handkerchief, whatever that was, and was heading back to his temporary home in the Hog's Head before noon. Once he was searching his bathroom, Kim threw off the cloak.

"Padfoot!" she hissed. "It's me! I know it's you! You have to get out of here!"

"What-what are you doing here?" Lockhart. Kim squeezed her eyes shut as he started walking towards her. She expected someone like him to stare at himself in the mirror for a while. Where was Padfoot?

Well, there was nothing left to do but play dumb like Severus thought she was the other day. Kim pretended to blink back tears. "Have you seen my dog, Padfoot? He's a black and has pointy ears. I lost him this summer."

Lockhart's eyebrows rose up in shock. Unfortunately, he was even dumber than he looked. "Really? I had a black dog too. But he ran away last night."

Kim bit her lip as he started to look sad. Time for Plan C, which was originally part of Plan A before she knew that Sever was really Padfoot. "Give me back my dog!"

"Wha—" With a swift kick from Kim, Lockhart was on the ground, clutching his private area. Now all she had to do is get out of here.

"FREEZE! THE AUROR DEPARTMENT HAS LISCENSE TO USE DEADLY FORCE!" They kicked open the door before Kim could figure out where to hide. An auror grabbed her by her arm so she couldn't escape. Kim closed her eyes again as she was dragged away. She was going to be stuck at the cottage now for sure.

* * *

"Merlin forbid we even trust you enough to go to your morning classes!" Remus ranted in Professor Dumbledore's office. McGonagall suspended her for the week, and Severus was so angry, that he didn't even trust himself to talk to her right now. Kim hung her head, not daring to say a word.

"Now I will admit." Remus ran a shaky hand through his greying hair. "I will admit that sometimes I don't know what to think when it comes to Sirius. There were times when I was so close to believing his lies… But I think his intentions were clear when he brought a _knife_ into Gryffindor Tower the other night."

"He—" Kim began to protest, but Remus cut her off.

"He is going to _kill_ you!" Remus yelled, eyes wide because he truly believed it and was terrified. "Can you actually listen to me when I tell you that? He _will_ kill you! Your parents _died_ trusting him. It will kill me if the same thing happens to you."

Kim felt angry tears welling up in her eyes. "My dad isn't dead!" she shrieked, making Remus step back in shock. "I know you're lying to me! He isn't dead!"

Remus gaped as she ran off. Where on earth did she get that idea?

* * *

She shouldn't have said that. Kim scrubbed at her eyes as she tried to get as much distance between herself and Remus as possible. She shouldn't have told him that she knew the secret he was keeping, but she couldn't help it. Everyone thought she was stupid, but they were wrong! Padfoot was her friend.

"What's the matter?"

Kim screamed and nearly tripped over the stairs. She wasn't watching where she was going and nearly fell face first into Blaise. By how freaked out he looked at the sight of her, Kim were sure her eyes were red and starting to get puffy. She should have kept quiet, but instead mumbled, "Nothing."

Blaise opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it. If she didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't going to force her. "There's a rumor going around school that you broke into Gilderoy Lockhart's apartment to profess your love to him."

Kim laughed, but it sounded more like a whimper. "How do you know it isn't true?"

He grinned. "Because I was there when Daphne made it up."

"Oh." Kim didn't know what else to say so they started walking around in silence. It was only a matter of time before someone found her and made her go to the cottage.

After a while, once he realized she was still crying, Blaise wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Kim barely reacted, only leaning a little closer to him. Finally, he broke the silence. "So you aren't like the other girls? You don't fancy, Lockhart?"

Kim tripped over her own foot and almost laughed again. Why would he ask that? "I hated him last year for stealing Remus's job. I hate him this year for stealing my dog. And he probably hates me now… because I kicked him in his bits a few hours ago."

Blaise grinned like a little kid Christmas morning and pulled her a little closer. Kim closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking in his scent. For some reason, she wasn't bothered by their closeness. Her heart wasn't even racing. She just felt… comfortable.

"So…" Blaise had to force himself to stop smiling. "Why'd you kick him in his bits?"

"'S a long story." Kim pursed her lips. If she told it, she would probably wind up bursting into tears. She hated it when Remus yelled at her because that meant she _really_ messed up.

Blaise shrugged like it was no big deal. "I'm skipping the rest of my classes anyway. I told Draco to take notes for me because I wanted to snog you before you went off to Lupin's for your suspension."

"What?!" Kim stopped in her tracks. All the comfort that she felt was quickly flying out the window, and her heart rate was suddenly starting to quicken.

Blaise tried his best to look innocent. "It was a joke, of course." Somehow, Kim didn't think he meant it. "I like making Draco turn pink. He looks like a crab after it sheds its shell."

"Now who's the catty one," Kim mumbled, wishing he would take his arm off her. He snockered, but Kim figured she'd better tell the story before things got awkward. She sighed. "It started first year when Padfoot—Sirius Black, managed to write to me."

By the time she finished, they were sitting together in an alcove on the first floor. Kim thought for sure that she would start crying by the end, but instead, she felt a lot better. This was the first time in a while she ever was able to talk about Padfoot to someone who wasn't yelling at her that she was crazy or going to get killed. Alastor didn't count because he was a creepy old man, and he wanted something from her. Blaise just wanted to listen.

"So," she finished. "Everyone wants to kill him, and I can't let that happen! I'm the only one around who believes him!"

Blaise frowned and leaned his head against hers. Kim tried her best not to squirm. Why'd he have to make that snogging joke?! "Black has to know a thing or two about survival if he's made it this far. He'll be alright."

Kim shook her head. "But what if he was still at Lockhart's? I had to warn him!"

"He's not that thick. He's Lupin's age. You don't have to look after him," Blaise muttered. He cupped her face in his hands and leaned his face closer to hers. "Stupid Gryffindor."

Kim closed her eyes, knowing he was going to kiss her. She nearly felt his lips brush against hers when they heard a booming, "I suggest you get to class, Mr. Zabini, before you find yourself suspended too."

At the sound of Severus's voice, Kim yelped, and Blaise flung himself backwards, hitting his head against the stone wall of the alcove. She opened one eye to see Severus looming over them, looking murderous.

Rubbing the back of his head, Blaise stood up and scowled. "Draco told you. Didn't he?"

Severus narrowed his eyes as the boy held out a hand to help Kim up. "Touch her, Mr. Zabini, and you will be spending the weekend with Filch."

Blaise smirked and grabbed her hand, pulling Kim up before she could protest. He winked. "Worth it."

As Blaise fled from Severus's wrath, Kim was tempted to yell, _Don't leave me with him!_ However, she doubted that was going to help her case. She pouted as Severus silently led her to his office. He was probably saving all his energy to have a meltdown in there.

* * *

Remus was already there, waiting. Kim knew there was no way he was going to save her but couldn't help looking at him sadly. His eyes were filled with hurt, and she wanted to kick herself. She should have never told him that she thought her dad was alive. "Sweetheart—"

"Don't let her fool you, Lupin," Severus growled. "She feels no remorse and has already moved on with a romantic conquest."

"I didn't know he was going to kiss me!" Kim snapped. Well… Not exactly.

"Who?" Remus asked dumbly, not sure if he heard right.

Severus put his hands behind his back to keep from strangling the other man. Sometimes he wondered how someone so academically gifted could be so incredibly dense in everything else. "Never mind, Lupin. I'm sure there will be another barbaric fight in my house about it later." Speaking of barbarians, he turned to Kimberly, who was doing her best to act like she didn't hear them. "I'm only going to ask once. How did you get to Hogsmeade undetected?"

"I walked." Kim did her best to look him dead in the eyes. She was telling the truth after all. She _had_ walked. Only not the way everyone else went.

"You walked." Severus raised his eyebrows as if to say, _Do you really think I'm stupid enough to leave it at that?_ Perhaps Lupin would have fell for it, especially since for some reason he seemed near tears, but there was no way someone wouldn't have at least noticed her footprints in the snow.

Kim nodded, trying her best to look innocent with Severus practically staring into her soul. "I'm sure Remus told you about the Cloak."

"No, the aurors did. They gave it to Dumbledore, by the way. Good luck getting it back. I won't know, you see, because it'll be returned to you over my dead body." Severus inspected every inch of the girl while speaking lightly as if he was informing her of the weather. There had to be some clue on her. He figured she shrunk her Firebolt and put it in her pocket. "Turn out your pockets, Kimberly."

"Pockets?" Kim repeated. Cursing herself silently, she turned out the pockets in her black pea coat, hoping that would be enough, and that he wouldn't ask her to do the same with her dark green hoodie. It wasn't.

"All of them." Severus thought he was being more than patient with the brat. The least she could do was face the music and do as she was told!

When she took out a blank piece of parchment, Lupin finally joined the rest of them and managed coherent thought. He sucked in a breath as if he were burned. "Where did you get that?"

"I—" Kim began, but Remus was suddenly furious.

"Where did you get that?" he repeated loudly. His eyes were practically popping out of his head. "Do you realize that that is practically giving Sirius a map leading straight to you? Do you? But I suppose that's what you want, isn't it?"

Kim suddenly became very interested in her shoes. This was treading dangerously close to the conversation they were having less than three hours ago. She snapped her eyes shut. She wouldn't say it this time! She wouldn't insist her dad was alive, no matter how upset he made her.

"I wasn't going to give it to him," she whispered. "I was going to give it to you after I got my dog back."

"You mean after you got Sirius back!" Okay… Remus didn't believe that she didn't know it was Padfoot anymore. Kim supposed she had that coming. "Have you been in contact with him this entire time?"

"No…" And how was she supposed to prove that? If only there was a way to prove Padfoot was innocent… Frustrated, Kim yanked at her hair, resisting the bratty urge to stomp her feet. Padfoot never told her the full story. For all she knew, Wormtail was dead. "I just don't want anything to happen to him!"

Confused beyond belief, Severus snatched the parchment out of the girl's hands, ignoring Lupin's protests. Since it clearly wasn't what it appeared to be, he pointed his wand at it. When the insults from Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs sprung onto the page, he felt his blood turn to ice. "Do you think this is funny, Lupin?"

"No-No!" Remus waved his hands and shook his head quickly. "It-it's the magic, not me. You don't know the password."

Kim craned her neck and stood on her tippy toes to see what all the fuss was about. Before Severus blocked her view by pressing it against his chest, she saw _"Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."_ She gaped, not being able to picture a world where Remus could say that to Severus and live to tell the tale.

Honestly, it was a bit of relief to not have the negative attention directed at her, but things quickly became awkward as Remus's face turned redder and redder, and Severus became angrier and angrier. She wondered if Remus felt like he couldn't tell Severus how to use it, like it would be betraying his friends.

"Daphne Greengrass says that my nose is abnormally small and that I look like a cartoon character. But then her friends gave her funny looks so she said I look like a fish instead." Kim took a step back when that only made the air _more_ awkward. Well it was true! Daphne must like Muggle television and film.

Glaring at her, Severus practically threw the Map back at her. "Either explain or spend the rest of your free time this school year in detention. When you are free to return to Gryffindor Tower after classes, that is."

Kim opened her mouth but then quickly shut it. Remus obviously didn't feel comfortable explaining the Map. She grinned in a smug way that she was sure made Severus want to throttle her. "If I'm going to sleep at Remus's, I'm going to get pretty lonely. Especially on the weekends."

"Don't push it," Remus mumbled. He wanted to tell Severus. He honestly did. But he was sure that James would hate him for it. How many hours had they spent creating the Map? James was surely already rolling in his grave over the fact that Kim has constantly been calling Severus her father for years. And Lily was probably laughing at him over it. James should at least have his Map.

"Kimberly, you do realize you are lucky that your suspension is only a week?" Severus drawled, desperately wanting to tear the forsaken parchment to shreds in front of her face. Yet again Minerva was too soft on her students. If she was in his house, she would have gotten no less than a month, and he considered _that_ going easy on her.

Kim felt anger well up inside her. She was sick of no one believing her. Padfoot had plenty of chances to kill her or kidnap her or do whatever Severus thought he was going to do! If those were his intentions, he would have done it already. "I didn't even _do_ anything that bad!"

"You snuck to Hogsmeade with a killer on the loose, specifically looking for the maniac, assaulted a man, and not to mention that you show absolutely no remorse and have a romantic encounter while everyone is looking for you, thinking you went back to Hogsmeade!" Severus yelled back. Okay, _he _was the only one who thought she went back to Hogsmeade, but he wasn't about to admit that he was starting to panic right before he found her.

"That isn't what happened!" Kim shouted, even though that was a pretty accurate description of the day's events. Before they could see the angry tears threatening to slip out of her eyes, she threw open Severus's door and stomped off.

Cursing like a sailor, Severus made to follow her and lecture her all the way to Dumbledore's office, but Remus stopped him by saying quietly, "It's a map. A map of the entire castle. We-we made it while we were at school. James… Well, it was his pride and joy."

Remus hung his head slightly. James wouldn't want Severus to know about the Map, but he also wouldn't want his daughter to get hurt because of it. Sighing sadly, he took out his wand and pointed at the Marauder's Map. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Half expecting it to explode in his hands, Severus opened the Map to see Kimberly getting caught by Minerva and being dragged back to the headmaster's office to floo to Lupin's. "So now we'll know if Black enters the castle again…"

Remus nodded, biting his tongue to keep from saying that he'll keep a look out. It was childish not to trust Severus with the Map, but it brought back so many wonderful memories. He had forgotten how much he missed exploring the castle and spying on students with his friends. "He'll show up on it even if he's a dog."

Severus narrowed his eyes as he watched the name _Blaise Zabini _speeding towards Minerva and Kimberly. Growling, he shoved the Map at Remus. "Then keep an eye out for him, wolf. I have to schedule Mr. Zabini's detention."

Remus brightened up a bit. So that's what Severus was complaining about. "Oh? What for, Severus?"

"He held her hand and tried to kiss her," Severus groused, sounding a bit animal-like.

Remus raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Oh? And it has absolutely nothing to do with skipping class?"

Severus tensed. That damned wolf! Well if Kimberly didn't have Lupin wrapped around her little finger, he wouldn't have to be so strict with her. He was not overprotective! Not in the slightest! "Shut up, Lupin!"

Remus only laughed harder when Severus stomped away to take his anger out on poor Blaise. He wasn't sure who would have been worse when it came to Kim and boys: Severus or James. He did know one thing for sure. Mr. Zabini was very lucky to be in Slytherin. His survival wouldn't necessarily be guaranteed otherwise.

* * *

It was the middle of Kim's suspension, and she felt like she was drowning homework, or punishment work, as Severus liked to call it. Every other day, he'd bring her _extra_ homework because he was still angry about her "immature, irresponsible, illegal behavior", as he called it. So far she's had to write an essay on Nicolas Flamel and his wife, who both passed away recently, make an outline for instructions on how to make Blood Replenishing potions, _and_ write an essay on how to make a mild pain reliever with only herbs and hot water. Today, Severus was coming over _again,_ and she still had to do all the classwork and homework she was missing out on. Needless to say, she was not looking forward to dinner.

And to top it all off, Severus had to insult her hair! He stared at her over the spaghetti and meatballs as if he thought something was off but couldn't quite place it. When he finally did figure it out, he didn't hesitate to say, "Cut your hair, brat. You look ridiculous with your bangs in your eyes like that."

Remus, who came home and made dinner with her after classes everyday,choked a bit on his food. He had asked Kim if she wanted to go get her hair cut a few days ago, but she said no, so he figured she was going to cut it herself or that she liked it like that. "Severus!"

Kim's eyes widened, although was she sure that they could hardly tell. She wished she had enough Gryffindor bravery to show Severus her middle finger. Instead, she haughtily stuck her nose in the air and said, "Hermione cuts my hair. And _only_ Hermione since November first year."

"Why?" Severus snapped, thinking this was her attempt at being able to have a friend over. It wasn't as nearly as good as her first attempt with the Map, which didn't even come close to working.

"_Because…_" Kim sighed dramatically as if she thought Severus should already know this. "Aunt Petunia literally cuts my hair with a bowl. So when she tried to cut it a week before Dudley's birthday before I met you guys, I bit her hand, so she ripped a chunk of my hair out. I punched her and… Well, we decided to forget about haircuts after I washed the windows."

Severus clenched his jaw. Now he couldn't say no. Surely Albus would turn the other way if he hexed Petunia bald the next time he saw her… The old goat owed him that much. "Fine. She has one hour after classes tomorrow. And that's only because you are reading _Hogwarts, A History _and writing me a two rolls of parchment summary on it and to do so, you'll have to actually because able to _see_ what your reading."

Kim groaned. She should've cried or something about Severus making fun of her hair. Sure, she wouldn't see her friend, but maybe Severus would've felt bad and not have made her read that book, which is so thick that it looks like it ate several other books. What a weekend she was going to have.

* * *

For some reason, Hermione didn't have much to say the next day while she cutting Kim's hair. Her lips were pressed in a thin line, telling Kim that the other girl was mad at her. Why? They hardly spoke lately, so what could possibly be…? Oh.

"Hermione," Kim whispered while her friend snipped at her wet hair in silence. "I'm sorry we haven't had much time together."

"Go on. Say it." Hermione's nostrils flared, daring her to speak.

Kim took a deep breath. But it's true! Hermione barely had time for anyone with all the classes she was taking! She studied day and night, and the only time anyone _could_ talk to her was when they were doing homework together. And when Hermione even took a small break, she was so exhausted that she was snippy with everyone. All Kim was willing to say was, "You should drop at least one class."

"You were supposed to help me and Ginny with Hagrid's trial!" Hermione yelled. Kim tried not to flinch with the scissors so close to her eyes. Hermione was tired, she had to keep telling herself. Ron called her the library dragon. Still, it hurt when Hermione started telling her off. Maybe because there was some truth to it.

"You get so wrapped up in your own problems that you never have time for anyone else," Hermione ranted. "But you won't even talk to anyone about it! Unless of course, we're Blaise Zabini, who you never even spoke to before this year! Meanwhile, Ron isn't talking to me because Crookshanks killed Scabbers, and Professor Trelawney makes me out to be an idiot every class, and-and I fell asleep in Muggle Studies last week! Everyone was laughing at me all day, and you didn't even notice."

Kim stared as her friend's eyes filled with tears. She doubted everyone was laughing at Hermione, but she knew that even one giggle was probably humiliating for her, especially if it was about her performance in school. If she had noticed, Kim could have stuck up to whoever was laughing at her for her. "I-I'm sorry, Hermione."

Hermione put the scissors on the sink and wiped her eyes. "And now-and now you're going after that lunatic Black. He tried to kill Ron for no reason! How can you trust someone who tried to hurt one of your best friends like that? Did you even ask Ron if he was okay? It must have been terrifying to wake up with someone looming over you with a knife!"

"No… I didn't ask." Why _did_ she trust Padfoot? Just because her instincts told her to? Because of a few letters they sent back and forth? She shouldn't trust Padfoot, but she couldn't make herself stop.

Hermione somehow managed to laugh through her tears. "It doesn't matter. He was soaking up all the attention like a sponge. I think Black pulling a knife on him is the highlight of his school year, actually."

Kim gave her the smallest of smiles. "What about Buckbeak?" she asked hopefully.

That wiped the smile clean off Hermione's face. "We lost… He-he's going to be executed in June. Malfoy's been so smug. I just want to punch him!"

_Me too,_ Kim thought. But that wouldn't change anything except get her in even more trouble. "Do you think if I talk to him…?" She shook her head. It was a stupid idea. "Never mind. He hates me now."

Hermione snorted. "Come on. I know you aren't that thick."

"He does!" Kim insisted as Hermione picked up the scissors and resumed her snipping. "When he isn't ignoring me or being mean, he's bossing Neville and me around in Potions!"

"I don't like him," Hermione said simply. "But I feel like I know him after these past three years. He likes you. I doubt he'll admit it even to himself, but I know he does."

"As a friend," Kim added flatly. She wasn't sure how she felt about that addition. Her conversation with Neville not too long ago popped into her head.

Hermione ignored her. "So it's worth a shot to talk to him. If he is a royal prat… At least we tried for Buckbeak."

Kim nodded, despite the fact that the thought of talking to Draco again filled her with overwhelming dread. "I'll do it. For Buckbeak. And Hermione?"

"Hm?" She was almost done cutting Kim's hair and was trying to concentration to make sure her bangs were straight.

"And then you'll forgive me?" Kim bit her lip as Hermione silently finished up. Hopefully she wouldn't make her best friend upset all over again.

But once she finished, Hermione grinned. "You're already forgiven."

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Oh, and I quoted the third book, page 287 of the hardcover for that insult from the Map. Next up, Draco redeems himself! :) Please review!**


	10. The Meeting

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Thank you Emarye for reviewing!**

**Emarye: I didn't think I was going to be able to do it, but I used the Snuffles/ Sniffles joke you wanted me to use a while ago!**

**A/N: I think I'll move the Quidditch Final to the end of May instead of its original date of April 16****th**** because well, I can, and the date snuck up on me. Also, I don't know why, but I hate writing Quidditch scenes. Probably because I'm not a sports person, but I usually avoid writing about Quidditch when I can.**

Chapter 10 The Meeting

By the time Severus allowed Kim to be in the castle after classes, it was already April. She was only allowed there until two hours before curfew and then it was straight to the cottage with Remus, or him, when Remus was sick. He still thought she was up to no good and had the Slytherins on the lookout, who were just itching to get her in trouble. When Kim found Draco, it was almost painful to force herself to sit across from him at the library. Thank Merlin Pansy wasn't around. Still, she had to watch her back. Daphne was lurking about the isles.

Draco glared at her when she sat down. "What?"

Kim flinched. "At least let me say something before you get your guard up! I'm trying to be nice!"

Draco snorted. "I'll sooner see Weasley in a shirt that isn't secondhand."

"Hmmm..." Kim picked up the nearest book and pretended to read it. She should have talked to Blaise before approaching him. It kind of hurt, that she had no idea how to speak civilly to Draco anymore. "Ron's jumpers are new."

"And made of cheap yarn." Draco frowned once he realized that she was forcing herself not to reply. What? Now that she had Blaise she was too good for him now? "Go away. Stupid people like you don't belong in the library."

That got her back. She bristled, reminding him of that fat orange fur ball Granger called a cat. "I'm ten times smarter than you!"

"Your grades say otherwise," he drawled. That was it? He gave her the perfect opportunity to point out how much he struggled in Transfiguration! Arguing was all they had lately!

Draco almost laughed when she tried to hold her anger in and nearly bared her teeth at him. She was so silly that it was almost cute. Whatever else she was holding in was going to escape soon.

Sure enough, the words quickly tumbled out of Kim's mouth. "You can't let Buckbeak die. Your arm's better now. It's not fair."

"Not fair? It's also not fair that that _thing_ maimed me. And you're lucky that oaf isn't getting sacked." Draco smirked to try to hide his disappointment. Of course that was why she was bothering to talk to him. He should have known better than to think she wanted to apologize and go back to the way things were.

Kim opened her mouth to spout some sort of speech about how he hurt her feelings all year but couldn't bring herself to do it. Hermione and Ginny had been coaching her on what to say all week. First, she was supposed to talk about how close she thought they were first and second year. Then, Ginny wanted her to tear up a bit, followed by explaining how hurt she was that Draco was cruel to her just to impress his girlfriend at the match a few months ago.

Maybe it was because it _did_ hurt. There was no way in hell she was willing to admit that. Especially since it meant admitting that she liked Draco far more than he liked her. Instead, all she could say was, "If you let them kill Buckbeak, I will _never_ forgive you."

Draco stared after her as she rose from her seat and hurried off. She was mortified and probably in such a rush because she didn't want him to call out after her that he could care less if she forgave him or not. He wanted to say so, but before he could push down his guilty feelings, she was gone.

* * *

Every Hogsmeade weekend, Blaise searched for Padfoot. He knew it was a long shot, that Black could be on the other side of the country by now, but he had a hunch. Black had to be searching the boy's dormitory for a reason if he wasn't as insane as everyone thought him to be. If that was the case, he was obviously unsuccessful and needed to stick around. By mid-April, Blaise finally found him.

The big black dog was so thin that Blaise wasn't sure if he was just a starving stray at first. There were posters all over Hogsmeade with a sketch of the dog, but this one was so frail and downtrodden that he would be hard to recognize. Luckily, Blaise was used to being observant. More often than not, he was considered the quiet one, and people sometimes mistook that for him being stupid like Vince and Greg. They let their guard down around him, and if Blaise paid attention, he could use it to his advantage.

This was going to be fun. Blaise whistled to get the dog's attention. It took its head out of the garbage it was shifting through and started at Blaise fearfully. "Hey Padfoot. Kim's worried about you, and I've been pretty lonely since she's been in trouble." He held up a bag full of food from the Hog's Head. "Fancy a meal that hasn't already been bitten?"

The sight of a dog gaping was priceless.

* * *

Draco couldn't believe he was wasting a Hogsmeade weekend for this. What did he care if Kim never forgave him? She should be the one asking for forgiveness. He couldn't count how many times she had been obnoxious and rude this year. And he _always_ cared when she was sick or hurt, but when he got hurt, she was nasty and didn't even ask how he was doing. So why was he asking his parents to meet him for lunch? All he was going to do was embarrass himself.

"Are you alright, darling? You look a little flushed." Narcissa was trying to force herself to stop smiling. Lucius had put his hand over hers to stop her from feeling her son's forehead. It was just too easy to embarrass Draco.

"I-I'm fine." Draco loosened his collar a bit. His mother knew him like the back of her hand, and for some reason, always thought his mortification was cute. "I just… I wanted to talk to you about something."

Lucius glanced at his wife, but for once, it seemed like she didn't know what was going on. Such occasions were rare, and he counted most of them as miracles, like the one where she didn't find out that it was he who gave Kimberly the diary last year. He could only imagine what the consequences would be.

"What's the matter Draco?" Narcissa's concerned voice broke Lucius from fearful thoughts of her torturing him. "Because you know you can tell us anything." In a flash, she stomped on his foot. "Right Lucius?"

Lucius forced himself to smile, knowing that she was stopping him from making a crude joke. "Yes, of course son."

Draco nodded and started fiddling with his napkin, glad his father didn't make some stupid joke about him dumping Pansy for that mudblood Granger. He didn't fancy the idea of the Weasel glaring at them all throughout lunch since he and Granger were only a few tables away. Mother wouldn't appreciate him stooping low enough to fight back. "Actually… it's about the hippogriff."

Granger tensed and not so subtly shushed the Weasel, but Draco tried to focus on his mother. Narcissa sipped her tea, looking thoughtful. "Draco… If this is about Kim… I do care for her very much, but I don't appreciate her trying to manipulate her into doing what she wants. The beast could have killed you and—"

"I provoked it," Draco said softly, wishing Granger hadn't leaned back in her seat to try to hear what he was admitting. "I didn't think it would cut my arm. I was going to get it angry and then Vince was supposed to hex it in order to scare it. He forgot so…"

Narcissa clamped her mouth shut, too stunned to be angry. She thought he wasn't paying attention in class and was trying to show off for Pansy once it was time for the students to try to befriend the hippogriffs. She didn't think he had intentionally tried to anger it. He was mostly likely still trying to show off at the time, but this was far worse.

"It still shouldn't have harmed you, Draco," Lucius answered once it was clear Narcissa wasn't ready to respond yet. "And that oaf should have known better than to bring the hippogriff in a third year class. You did nothing wrong."

"Lucius," Narcissa cut in coolly. Her dark blue eyes fixed on Draco, remind him of the ocean during a storm. "Draco, you can't possibly think that you need to impress Pansy by being foolish, do you? Because I also know what happened at the game in February. Pansy likes you for you. That much is clear. So why have you been acting like you have to jump through flaming hoops to catch her attention?"

"Er…" Draco's face turned bright red when Madame Rosmerta walked over while levitating their plates. His father wrinkled his nose at the food, obviously wishing Draco and his wife had listened to him and decided to side-long to a higher quality restaurant.

Narcissa's eyes widened when she realized Draco wasn't answering because he didn't know himself. Lucius was just as clueless, but by their son's face, she thought it was crystal clear that it was because her son was trying to get the attention of someone else who was ignoring him. A majority of her son's cruelty this year could be traced to one person.

"Anyway…" Narcissa decided to drop it. Draco cared deeply for Pansy, and she didn't want to spoil it by making him aware of the fact that he cared deeply for a girl who only bothered civilly speaking to him when she wanted something. Deep down, she would always have a soft spot for the Girl-Who-Lived, but her son was thirteen and deserved a carefree relationship. "What did you want to do about the hippogriff? I don't want you near it, despite the fact that you are admitting fault."

"It should still be put down," Lucius grumbled while he picked at his sandwich. He wanted to order flounder but didn't trust getting it here. "If anything to show Dumbledore that he can't endanger students simply out of love for that halfwit."

"Isn't there some kind of reserve it can go to?" Draco sighed in frustration. This was beyond humiliating, and he was sure Granger and Weasley were going to spread it around school. "I don't want to feel guilty about it. That's all."

_You mean you don't want Kimberly to tell you to feel guilty about it, _Lucius wanted to shout. He thought that he had gotten lucky, that Pansy had influenced Draco to hate her and cut all ties from her. He thought Draco was going to grow up to be a proper pureblood after all.

"I'll look into it," Narcissa promised. She wanted nothing more than to get rid of the monster that could have killed her son, but she wasn't going to hurt Draco more by doing so. Later, she would have to reflect on the memory through her pensieve and decide if this was what Draco truly wanted or if it was because it was what he thought Kim wanted. If it was the latter, she would have to talk to him again. It was hard to tell if Draco felt guilty because of how seldom he actually did.

"Cissy!" Lucius exclaimed, as if she were being unreasonable. "That hippogriff slashed open our son's arm!"

"Our son crossed a line. He should know what happens if you cross a line. For example…" Narcissa raised her voice slightly so Granger would hear. Did she really think they didn't know she was listening? "Anyone who disrespects my family will have her heart ripped out and shoved down her throat."

Granger eeped and started speaking to the Weasley rather quickly. Lucius frowned. He didn't know they were listening. "Lovely, darling. I still don't think Draco did anything wrong."

_You never do, _Narcissa thought dryly. "The point is that Draco learned his lesson. Didn't you, dragon?"

Draco nodded. He certainly was never going to provoke a wild animal again. When his arm was cut open, he was terrified. Did he feel bad about it? Not really. But he wanted Kim to be his friend again, even if it was in secret. He'd let the bloody chicken live for that. "Yes, mum."

"That's my boy." Narcissa smiled. She would enjoy ruffling his hair to embarrass him but figured he had enough for the day. She pointed to the other side of Three Broomsticks, where Pansy was having lunch with Daphne. "Go ahead. She misses you."

As he watched Draco grab his lunch and flee, Lucius was tempted to throw his away and ask Narcissa if she wanted to have an early dinner in Paris. "It's a mistake to let the hippogriff live."

"It was also a mistake to give a twelve year old girl a birthday present that you knew was deadly," Narcissa whispered so low that only Lucius could hear. He paled considerably. "Did you really think I didn't know?"

Lucius gulped. "You-you never said anything."

"Remember when you had that agonizing, debilitating rash you had on your back all summer?" Narcissa asked lightly, finally stabbing her fork in her salad to take a bite. Lucius went from ashen to slightly green. "I forgave you shortly after that."

"Cissa, I—" Lucius stopped himself. He couldn't talk his way out of this, and Narcissa knew that any apology he would give would not be sincere.

"Am not going to give her so much as a glass of water without my permission," Narcissa filled in for him. She kissed him on the cheek and when on eating as if nothing happened. As if she didn't just admit what she knew and that she had poisoned him for two months straight nearly a year ago. His wife laughed to herself and added, "At least until their married."

Lucius tensed but knew better than to respond to that. They would most certainly not be getting married! He has at least four years to make sure of it!

* * *

"So how do you know Kimmy?" Sirius asked as he devoured a chicken leg. He had led the boy to the Shrieking Shack and was beyond glad he did so. It felt so good to eat a hot meal, especially as a human. The only thing spoiling it was the fact that his goddaughter seemed to have befriended _another_ boy.

"Kimmy…" Blaise rubbed at his chin and looked at the ceiling as if he were considering the name. Finally, he brightened, giving his seal of approval. "I like it."

Sirius grabbed another chicken leg, never taking his eyes off the boy. "You didn't answer my question."

"Oh." Blaise grinned. He loved teasing people sometimes. "I think I'm falling in love with her." Sirius started choking, so Blaise thumped on the back and went on speaking as if he was talking about the weather. "I'm not one hundred percent sure though. So I haven't told her yet. It feels good to tell someone, you know? I've been holding it in for _ages._"

Sirius had to cough a few times and take a swig of pumpkin juice before he could speak. Once he recovered, he glared at the boy. "You little shit!"

"And the best part is." Blaise's smile widened. "That you can't do anything about it because you need me to help you."

Sirius groaned. Not another Slytherin! What was Kimmy thinking?

* * *

A couple of weeks passed before Kim found the time (meaning the courage) to thank Draco for having Buckbeak sent away instead of killed. Hermione told them at Hagrid's the very next day, and although he was sad to say goodbye to his friend, Hagrid was happy that Buckbeak was going to live. By the time Kim spoke to Draco, April was nearly over.

She spotted him leaving the library about twenty minutes before supper, probably trying to get a head start with studying for the Transfiguration final exam. Kim cringed. Why'd this have to be so hard?

"Hey!" Her hiss sounded more like a whispered screech, causing Draco to jump and throw his book in the air. Great. "Come here! I've been meaning to talk to you."

Cautiously, Draco picked up his book and turned around. "What?"

"Well… You know." Kim put her hands behind her back and teetered back and forth. This was so awkward! Hopefully they'd start bickering to ease the tension. Until then, she had to face the music. "Thanks for the, er, thing."

Draco caught on but wasn't going to let her off that easy. He smiled smugly. "I'm afraid I don't. What are you thanking me for exactly?"

Kim stopped moving and pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. He was such a prat! Through clenched teeth she managed to say, "Thank you for letting Buckbeak live." Before she could stop herself, she added, "I'm sure it took a lot for someone as big headed as you."

"Oh! So close, Potter, so close." Draco put his hand over his heart, pretending that she had hurt his feelings. He snorted. "Like I would do anything for you. I did it for my mum. She's squeamish. I didn't want her to watch that stupid savage bawling his eyes out while that fat chicken got its neck chopped into bits."

If Narcissa Malfoy was anything, it sure wasn't squeamish. Kim smirked and said condescendingly, "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Drakey-poo."

She turned to leave, but Draco grabbed her arm and spun her back to face him. "Only my girlfriend calls me that."

A few days later, Kim thought of a dozen things that she could have said as a response. _And she sounds like an idiot too. _Or, if she was brave enough, _I know._ And then she would be cool and walk away while he thought about what she meant. But she couldn't remember the last time he touched her, and it felt like his hand was burning into her skin. She was so dumbstruck that she could only stare at him with wide eyes.

Thinking he had hurt her or was simply too rough, Draco quickly let go as if her skin truly had burned him. He kept his eyes on his feet and started to leave. "Don't bother me again, Potter. I'm already sick of looking at you."

Kim felt her mouth run dry as she watched him go. Why was everything between them so difficult?

* * *

It was after dinner on a rainy day in early May, and Kim honestly wished she had it in her to knock down Hermione's book fortress and challenge her to a game of tag. Unfortunately, Hermione was yet again cracking under the pressure of taking a million classes, and Kim knew that she'd probably lose a finger if she so much as poked one of her friend's books. Luckily, another friend swooped in to save her.

Luna smiled at the book fortress as if it wasn't surrounding the Library Dragon. Kim could see Hermione's angry eyes daring Luna to speak in between book spines and wondering if she would accept the challenge. She spoke without hesitation. "I was talking to a friend recently and—"

"Leave if you are going to talk," Hermione hissed. Kim wouldn't be surprised if behind the books, Hermione had a forked tongue like a snake and was just waiting to pounce on them if they made another sound. Slowly, she rose from her seat and gestured for Luna to follow.

"Sorry about that," Kim said once they were free and roaming the halls. "By the middle of the week, Hermione's in meltdown mode."

Luna grinned. "No problem. I wonder if her pillow is infested with baby nargles."

Kim shrugged, not wanting to be rude. If she was, Ginny would probably hunt her down about it later. Luna was cool, but Kim believed in nargles about as much as she believed Dudley would grow up to like broccoli. Before she could start talking about nargles further, Kim changed the subject. "So what did you want to tell me about your friend?"

Lost in the world of nargles, Luna cocked her head to the side, not sure at first who she was talking about. "Who? Oh yeah… I've been giving Blaise Zabini flying lessons."

"Why?" Kim demanded. She flinched at her own tone. It was borderline yelling and rang clear with jealousy. How could she compete with Luna?!

"Because…" Luna paused to hum, but Kim could tell it was a poorly disguised laugh. "He claims that he's a horrible flyer and wants to learn so he can fly with a friend."

"What friend?" Kim growled, getting more and more jealous by the second.

"You!" Luna laughed so hard she grabbed her sides and didn't notice that Kim's face was starting to resemble a giant tomato as she forced herself to keep walking. "The point is, he told me all about Snuffles."

"Snuffles?" Kim repeated flatly.

Luna's eyes darted from side to side, suspicious of every passerby. She stopped walking and hunched over to whisper to Kim, "Your dog."

Kim froze, having to bite her tongue to keep from saying that his name was Sever and then correct herself and say Padfoot. Luna obviously had a plan, and it wouldn't help if Severus or a Slytherin perfect heard her reference him, tackled her, and dragged her to the cottage. "Do you know where he is?"

Luna nodded and continued to speak in a hushed whisper. "Blaise and I are bringing him food. It looks like we're trying to find a needle in a haystack. Crookshanks told him the Wormtail faked his death again."

"What?" Kim said dumbly. So now Crookshanks could talk too? And Wormtail was thought to be dead and somehow faked his death again, even though he was already dead?

"It's a long story." Smiling, Luna tucked her arm into Kim's and dragged her to an empty classroom where they wouldn't be overheard. She liked trying to catch the bad guy while saving the good. She wondered if being an auror would be this fun.

* * *

It was starting to get warm, and like last year, Lupin was starting to hint that it was time to ease up on Kimberly's punishment. Wasn't it enough that he gave in to allow her to go to Quidditch Practice? She had obviously yet to learn her lesson, so Severus saw no reason to let her sleep in Gryffindor Tower again.

"See, Lupin?" Severus grumbled over breakfast. He pointed his fork at Kimberly, who was showing off her Gryffindor bravery by sitting at his house's table with Mr. Zabini. His snakes were all glaring at her while she giggled as the boy whispered something to her. "She's conspiring with him."

"Conspiring?" As usual, Lupin was being a fool and thought the brat was being adorable. He chuckled as if he thought Severus was being paranoid. "Severus, don't you remember a few short years ago, when you were wanted her to be 'socialized as much as possible' so she would be prepared to go to Hogwarts?"

Severus gritted his teeth. It was all too tempting to stomp over to that table and rip those two apart. "That was before I realized that she would pursue relationships at such a young age."

"She's thirteen, Severus." Remus smiled awkwardly at the Slytherin table. "And I think this is much healthier than what she was doing this summer."

Severus scoffed at the memory. "She's too young. And isn't trustworthy."

"Leave her be." Remus smirked as Hermione walked over to Kim and thumped her on the head with what appeared to be their History of Magic textbook. Kim rubbed at her head dramatically, and if Remus strained his ears, he could faintly hear her whining about it. Hermione put her hands on her hips, and Kim hung her head as she dragged her to the library.

Severus rolled her eyes. He doubted even Granger could get the girl to raise her History grade. "Perhaps I should have a talk with Mr. Zabini."

"Oh Merlin!" Poor kid. Remus covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. He wondered if Severus would ever open up to the idea of Kim having a boyfriend. Hopefully he would a couple of years after she got married. Hopefully.

* * *

"Kimberly." Severus was doing what he did best: lurking about and scaring students after dark. His mouth briefly twitched into an almost smile when she yelped and spun around. It seemed like she was trying to head outside with Mr. Zabini… and Miss Lovegood. "Classes have long since ended, meaning you should be at Lupin's trying to avoid doing your homework."

"Remus said I can stay here until nine since its Friday," Kim informed him bravely.

"Lupin lied," Severus said dryly. Miss Lovegood whispered something to Mr. Zabini. Severus thought he caught the word 'Snuffles', whatever that meant. "What was that, Miss Lovegood?"

Scowling, Blaise elbowed her in the ribs. "She said she has the sniffles. And that she'll have to turn in early."

"Achoo!" Lovegood 'sneezed' and then smiled dreamily at him. Whenever she was in his classroom, Severus couldn't help but wonder what the bloody hell was wrong with her.

"I was going to show Luna some herbs in the garden I made with Neville," Kim lied so smoothly that Severus almost believed her. "You know, to clear up her stuffy nose."

"Achoo!"

"That is enough, Miss Lovegood! I didn't believe it the first time and I most certainly will not believe the fake sneezing now even if you cover your nose while doing it," Severus snapped, glaring at the trio of nitwits. He knew they were up to something but couldn't possibly fathom what. He couldn't stop Zabini and Lovegood, but he at least had some authority over Kimberly. "I'm taking you to Lupin's, Kimberly."

Kim practically deflated with disappointment. At lunch, Blaise had whispered to her that they were going to meet Padfoot at the edge of the Forbidden Forest tonight. She had pretended to laugh so no one would suspect anything. If she got overly upset now, the whole thing would be ruined! "But—"

"But you are one bad grade away from failing History of Magic." Severus pointed to the direction of his office. "Bring that grade up, and then we _may_ be able to discuss your parole."

Kim wrinkled her nose at Severus referencing her as his prisoner. Blaise and Luna inched towards the Great Hall doors, trying to escape before Severus could question them further. At this rate she was never going to get to talk to Padfoot.

* * *

A few weeks later, Kim had yet to visit Padfoot. She nearly had an Acceptable in History of Magic, which earned her a nearly warm spring evening gardening with Neville. Usually she was stuck at the cottage on weekends, pouting while Remus caught up on grading papers and hoping Wood would intervene and call for an emergency Quidditch practice. Sometimes it seemed like Severus didn't want her to have any fun. In his paranoid mind, her idea of fun was doing Merlin knows what with Blaise and probably riding a basilisk in the Forbidden Forest with Luna. She had a very short 'approved' listen of friends which consisted solely of Hermione and Neville. Sure, she was trying to meet up with who Severus considered a deranged murderer but that was beside the point! Severus should trust her at least a little bit.

"What did those weeds ever do to you?" Neville joked. While thinking about Severus, Kim was yanking them out with all her might and a furious expression on her face. He wondered if she was pretending they were Snape's greasy hairs.

Kim stopped and looked at the mangled weeds in her hands. Alright, Severus had every right not to trust her, but that didn't make it any less frustrating! She thinned her lips and said, "They are almost as dark as Severus's hair."

Neville snickered and was about to ask what exactly she was so angry about but was interrupted by a loud, vicious bark. He turned around just in time to see a giant black dog jump over his head. He cried out but thought it was over. However, when he turned to laugh with Kim about it, he saw that the spot she was sitting in was vacant. "What…?"

She was chasing the horse-like dog, and looking closely, Neville could see that the dog was chasing what appeared to be a rat. Knowing that he wasn't nearly fast enough to catch up, Neville chased after them anyway, feeling like a fool while waving his arms and calling Kim's name. Before he knew it, they were heading straight for the Whomping Willow.

The dog scooped up the rat with its mouth and soon afterwards disappeared under the beast-like tree. For a moment there, Neville thought that it was immobilized, but that couldn't be true because a split second later, it flung Kim backwards to his feet.

"Are you okay?" Neville panted as he knelt down next to her. She didn't appear to be bleeding, but she probably conked her head on the ground pretty good.

Kim groaned and forced herself to sit up. Once she got herself together, the adrenaline rush she felt from what was happening allowed her to jump back up. She couldn't waste time catching Neville up! What did Blaise tell her? Something about a knot in the tree…

"Kim?" From how nervous Neville was starting to sound, Kim could tell he had called her name a few times. She should've told him what was going on _weeks_ ago. He would have never told Severus. No matter how scared he was.

"I…" Kim tried to shake the dizziness out of her head. Somehow, that didn't help much. She didn't have time for this! She had to help Padfoot! "Do you know Luna Lovegood? Or Blaise Zabini?"

"Er…" He knew Zabini, but he'd rather take his chances with Lovegood, who he knew was Ginny's friend. "I know Luna."

Kim gripped his shoulders, mostly to steady herself. After less than a minute, she was sure she was okay. Blaise said the knot would immobilize the tree. "I need you to bring Luna here. Tell her that Snuffles found what he's been looking for."

Neville frowned, wanting to say that she should get her head checked out first. He doubted she would listen to him though. "But—"

"But I'll be right here waiting, Neville!" Kim lied. Her voice was rather high pitched and frantic, but hopefully he would buy it. "Please," she begged. "This is so important to me!"

"Is that the dog Gilderoy Lockhart stole?" Neville asked slowly, too slowly for Kim's liking.

"Yes!" Kim shook his slightly. "Now please go!"

Neville knew this was a bad idea, but he didn't know if she'd forgive him if he refused. She seemed beyond desperate. There was obviously more to this story than her dog disappearing under a tree. "Promise you'll tell me later?"

"Promise," she swore.

Reluctantly, Neville repeated her message. "Tell Luna that Snuffles found what he was looking for?"

She nodded, relief evident on her face. "Thanks Neville."

The next time he saw her, her life was changed so drastically that he was surprised she didn't lose her mind.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! The next chapter's going to be crazy! And some of you might get angry with me. I hope not though! :0 Please review!**


	11. The Kidnapping?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Thank you WallWatcher33 and Emarye for reviewing!**

**A/N: So the ending of this chapter, or the middle, if you catch on, might tick some people off because I didn't put it in the summary. However, I hinted at it a little and wanted it to be a twist in the story line. So before you go bananas on me, please give the next chapter or two a chance! :)**

**A/N: Oh and most of the scenes occur around the same time or a few minutes later.**

Chapter 11 The Kidnapping?

"Mr. Longbottom." Unbeknownst to Severus, Neville was searching frantically for Ravenclaw Tower or wherever their Common Room was. He couldn't believe that he had been going to Hogwarts for three years and still didn't know where everything was. Luckily that would make lying to Snape easier since there wasn't a Ravenclaw in sight.

"Hullo, sir." Neville tried to smile, but it was rather difficult under Snape's cold, penetrating stare. Since he actually had something to hide, he found himself shaking more than usual, which only made the potion's master more suspicious.

Severus kept staring, thinking Longbottom would crack under the pressure. It took nearly a minute for him to realize that the boy was forcing himself to keep quiet out of loyalty to a friend. Stupid Gryffindors. "Mr. Longbottom, you do realize that you are supposed to be with Kimberly. And the mere fact that you aren't has gotten her in trouble anyway."

"She-she ha-ha-had to go to the-to the loo," Neville somehow managed to stammer out. Were they even near a bathroom? By how angry Snape was getting, he doubted it. "And then La-la-Lavender needed her help with-with something, so…"

"So either tell me where she is or I will make the rest of your Hogwarts career miserable even if you don't manage a miracle by making it into my NEWTs class," Severus barked. Unlike last year, or more like a few weeks ago, the first thing that came to mind wasn't that the brat was in danger. He figured she had snuck away with Mr. Zabini and was thinking of the best way to literally rip them apart while waiting for Longbottom to crack. If only he had the authority to hex them.

Finally, Longbottom spoke up after mentally debating which course of action was best for his friend. He still seemed unsure of himself. "Well… She did hit her head pretty hard…"

People often thought he was too hard on Longbottom, but quite frankly, Severus thought he was too easy. It took all his might not to curse at the boy and berate him until he literally turned blue. Instead, he forced himself to say through clenched teeth, "She hit her head, and you left her to wander about the castle?"

Neville quivered slightly. Okay. She didn't tell him _not_ to tell Snape. And the greasy git did care about her. He wasn't fooling anyone, not even the Slytherins. No matter how much favor he showed them while doing his best to embarrass her. "Well, er… There was this dog, chasing a rat… And she… The Whomping Willow…"

That was all he could manage to say. Neville squeezed his eyes shut, expecting instant yelling. When that didn't happen, he dared to open one eye. Snape was paler than he had ever seen him, resembling the color of milk. He caught a quick glimpse of the man's eyes widening before he pushed past him and ran off.

Neville frowned. Later, he would find out that the dog was Sirius Black, and he didn't know because he was never one for gossip and was banned from Hogsmeade and therefore didn't see the updated wanted posters. For now, he could only resume his search for Luna Lovegood to try to figure out what the hell was going on.

* * *

Meanwhile, Remus was letting a student make up an essay test, naïvely thinking Kim was having a quiet afternoon with Neville. He thought Severus was being paranoid when he told him to keep an eye on Kim with the Map, so he only checked when he was bored waiting for the Hufflepuff fourth year to finish up. Remus didn't have the heart to tell the boy that he had already been writing for two hours. He craned his neck to see how many questions he had left. Only one… On a three question test.

Forcing himself not to sigh, Remus reached for the Marauder's Map once again to check on Kim. Hopefully she was having some fun, at least.

It took Remus a second to realize she wasn't where she was supposed to be and another minute of searching before he started to panic. When he finally spotted _Kimberly Potter_, relief flooded through him… Until he realized where she was.

Her name was hanging right around the Whomping Willow. It was just her name and a small dot, but Remus could tell that she cautiously trying to approach it. Remus could hardly breathe as he watched her race towards it and disappear as she entered the tunnel leading to the Shrieking Shack. There could only be one reason for her to go in there.

"Mr. Fairchild." Remus tried to smile despite the fact that he was feeling a little light headed. "I'm sorry, but I have a bit of an emergency."

Since he had been down on his luck lately, the poor boy seemed near tears. "But-but…"

_But I don't care! I have to go!_ Instead, he quickly said, "You can finish it here if you want. I'm sorry."

Remus didn't wait for an answer and ran off. Would there be time to find Severus? No… It could already be too late.

* * *

Severus didn't stop running until he had to immobilize that damned tree. After all these years, he still remembered how to do it. How could he forget? Black and Potter had tried to kill him after all.

Once he was in the tunnel, Severus slowed his pace to a quiet walk. His blood was still pounding in his ears, and he desperately wanted to race through the tunnel so he could strangle Black in a few minutes rather than five or ten, but if Black heard him, he might go about killing Kimberly faster. Severus hoped the walls were mostly rotted away in this dump. That would make killing the traitor much easier and quicker.

When he heard Kimberly yelp in pain, he forgot all of his plans and started running again. He must be losing his mind because could've sworn he heard her cry out, "He bit me! How can I hold him still if he's going to bite me?!"

He must've been imagining it because Black didn't answer. Instead, there was a lot of rumbling as if someone was fighting on the floor. There was a rather loud squeak, followed by the sound of a man crying. Severus flung open the door, too stunned by what he saw to kill Black like he wanted.

Kimberly was the first to spot him. "Severus!"

Keeping Kimberly's wand on who could only be Pettigrew, Black's head snapped over to him and adopted an expression of disgust. "Oh look, Wormtail," he spat. "Your Death Eater buddy came to rescue you!"

Kim frowned as Pettigrew sunk to his knees and started sobbing. "Death Eater?"

Severus didn't give Black a chance to answer and grabbed Kimberly by her arm, yanking her behind him. He lied, "I've already called the dementors."

"Don't touch her!" Black snarled taking a step closer to them.

"They've been given the authority to give you the Kiss." Severus pointed his wand at Black and then at Pettigrew, who couldn't take his watery eyes off the door. "Perhaps they'll have a kiss for your boyfriend too. Obviously you two have been working together."

Pettigrew finally tore his eyes away from the door, leaping at the chance to get out of trouble. Since his index finger was missing, he pointed his middle at Black. "It was him! Him all along! He had me under the Imperious Curse all this time! I could only stop being a rat when he told me to transform back!"

"Liar!" Black roared before pouncing on the pathetic excuse for a man. Severus watched them scuffle for a moment before levitating Black in the air.

"Severus!" Kimberly screamed, obviously worried about the psychopath.

Getting at least some satisfaction out of this, Severus watched Black squirm in the air, too proud to make a sound, and with a flick of his wrist, took his arm out of its socket. Pettigrew dared to try to escape, so he did the same to him too. Thinking back to twenty years ago, Severus almost laughed at the sight of Pettigrew crying while Black tried to claw at the blubbering man with his good arm. Of course, Lupin had to ruin it by bursting in.

"Merlin…" Lupin nearly dropped his wand at the sight of Pettigrew, and Severus could tell by his face that he believed every word Black and Kimberly had been insisting upon these past two years. He believed Black was innocent.

* * *

Draco couldn't help but stare at the obviously lost student. Pansy was having "girl time" with Daphne and Millicent, which was code for 'we're planning a surprise birthday party for you.' He wasn't sure how he felt about that, so he took the new kid as a nice distraction.

"Are you lost?" he asked cautiously. The dark haired boy looked beyond skittish, making Draco think he was a mudblood. He should probably leave him there. A prefect will find him.

The boy jumped backward, and Draco almost felt guilty for his guarded tone. Just because he was acting like he had never seen Hogwarts before didn't make him a mudblood. He could be from Durmstrang for all he knew. Father did say they were coming to Hogwarts next year. For all he knew, this bloke could know Viktor Krum!

"I-I…" Speaking even seemed painful for the guy. Draco remembered that was how Blaise was during the first few weeks of first year. Finally, he found the courage to complete a sentence. "I-I'm looking for R-Remus Lupin."

_Why?_ Draco had to force himself not to ask rudely. One wrong move, and the boy would probably flee. He didn't dare ask for a name. "C'mon. I know where his office is."

They walked in painfully awkward silence. Draco was tempted to find a way to ditch him, but he had nothing better to do, and if he did this, the guy would owe him a favor. Father said one could never have enough people indebted to him. It was a less than ten minute walk if he took a short cut. He'd live.

After the excruciating walk, they made it to Lupin's office only to see a nervous Hufflepuff burst out of it. "I'm not cheating! I'll finish my test tomorrow!"

Draco glared at the fourth year as he ran off. Leave it to Hufflepuffs to get worked up and nervous over nothing. "Stupid badgers."

"What?" the boy asked nervously. Draco groaned. Of course the bloke thought he was calling him stupid.

Starting to get impatient, Draco ignored him and opened Lupin's office. It took all his might to not start cursing the second he realized Lupin wasn't there. To his surprise (it was almost a relief, actually), the fact the Lupin was nowhere to be found brought some life into the boy.

He looked around the office, furious and suddenly able to say more than one word without stuttering. "He _knew_ I would be here! I've been trying to get ahold of him for months, and once we were supposed to meet, the fucking coward leaves!"

Draco gaped as the boy started rummaging through Lupin's office. He seemed torn between trashing it or not. It was like he became a completely different person. _Anger does that to people, I suppose, _Draco thought as he stopped at Lupin's desk and froze. Funny. Now that Draco could actually clearly hear his voice, he could've sworn the bloke had an accent he couldn't quite place. It definitely wasn't French or Bulgarian like Krum's…

The boy picked up a paper from Lupin's desk and narrowed his eyes. "There he is…" he mumbled angrily to himself. Once he realized Draco was still there, he became shy again. "Can-can you help me find him?"

Draco was about to say no, until the boy revealed what was on the other side of the paper. It was a map but a magical one. The boy was pointing to a little dot labeled _Remus Lupin_, which was heading out of the castle rather quickly. A map like that could be useful. Draco grinned. "Nick that for me, and it's a deal."

The boy stared. "What?"

Draco raised his eyebrows. Where was this guy from? "Steal it for me."

"Oh." The boy shrugged and handed it to him. "I don't care. It's not mine."

Draco snickered and grabbed the boy's arm to drag him in the right direction. If they were going to catch up to Lupin, they would have to hurry.

They almost ran into Blaise on the way. His fellow Slytherin caught sight of them in the halls, and his eyes popped out of his head. Ever since he became friends with Kim, Draco felt like he had to compete with Blaise in _everything._ If anyone was going to make friends with the new kid, it was going to be him.

"Hurry," Draco said as the Blaise started rushing towards them. "That arse over there is a prefect. He'll turn us in."

The boy seemed to be warming up to him because as they started running, he was able to ask without stuttering, "What's a prefect?"

Draco glanced at the map to see that Lupin was already outside the castle. He didn't say anything until they were outside too, and Lupin was a speck in the distance. "Seriously?" he panted as they continued to run. "Where are you from?"

"America!" The boy squinted as they started to catch up to Lupin to be able to just barely make him out. Draco wondered how well he could see even with those horrid glasses he was wearing. "Is that him?"

"Yes." Draco stopped a minute to catch his breath. For someone so sickly, Lupin could sure run fast. Wait a minute… Was he heading for the Whomping Willow?!

The boy started running again, and Draco moaned but followed. What the bloody hell was going on?

They only stopped when Lupin somehow stunned the tree. The boy took out his wand as the professor disappeared under it. "I guess he immobilized it… I've never seen a tree like that."

As the tree started thrashing around madly again, neither boy was in a rush to get any closer to it. Since they were both stalling, Draco decided to ask what had been gnawing at the back of his mind this whole time. "You aren't a mu—I mean a Muggleborn, are you?"

The boy's cheeks turned dark red. "I'm a halfblood," he snapped. "But I don't see how it's any of your business."

"No, no, it's not," Draco said quickly, not wanting the boy to go ape shit on him like he nearly did in Lupin's office. Where were Vince and Gregg when you needed them?

The awkward silence came back, only this time, it was more tense than awkward. Draco had a feeling the boy wanted to curse him. Sending him one last glare, the boy took a few steps closer to the tree before taking his wand out and shouting, _"IMMOBULUS!"_

The tree fought the spell, but soon enough, it stopped moving, although a branch did twitch now and again. Draco knew it was a stupid idea to follow the boy as he cautiously walked over to the Willow but couldn't help it. He was almost desperately curious.

Still, the Slytherin in him thought twice about going into some mystery tunnel with someone who didn't even know his way around Hogwarts. The dark haired boy must've sensed this and laughed, still ticked about their conversation earlier. "Fine. You stick around and wait for my spell to wear off. It isn't going to hold much longer. The tree's too big and powerful."

Draco squeaked in a very unmanly way and followed.

* * *

Kim was ready to cry as Severus and Remus started bickering. Severus refused to let Padfoot down, who was cursing like a madman while Wormtail sobbed and tried to get Remus to believe he was being Imperioused, whatever that meant.

"Black is clearly involved!" Severus snarled. "Pettigrew is too stupid to pull this off on his own!"

"Sirius doesn't have a Dark Mark," Remus shot back. "Why don't you check to see if _he_ was one?"

"How dare you believe Black?" Severus screamed, but Pettigrew cut him off.

"Please believe me, Remus!" he begged as Sirius continued trying to claw at him. "Sirius had me under the Imperious Curse!"

"Like you could be the Secret Keeper under the Imperious Curse!" Remus growled at Wormtail, angrier than Kim had ever seen him. "The Fidelius wouldn't have allowed it."

Severus stared at Black like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He never asked Albus much about the details of Lily's death, mostly because the guilt of his own role was so unbearable. He drank away the guilt until he started teaching. Then, he tried to keep himself in denial, but soon enough, a red-haired little brat made the paper. "They used the Fidelius Charm?"

"What's the Fidelius Charm?" Kim asked desperately while Remus nodded sadly.

As if he was tied up, Sirius struggled like he could somehow break free of the levitation charm. "You didn't tell her about the Fidelius, Remus? Are you kidding me?"

"She was eleven and barely knew about magic when I told her!" Remus yelled back. "I had to use language she understood!"

Sirius kicked his feet and started to turn red with frustration. "You've had her three bloody years! And you told her _nothing!_"

"Do you think it's easy?" Remus shouted. "Having no one from your family for almost ten years and then only getting one person back? I couldn't have her hate me! She's all I have left!"

When the door opened again, Kim felt like someone was squeezing her heart. It was her dad… but it wasn't. He was her age. How…? He stared at Remus furiously for a moment, but when his eyes rested on hers, he turned as white as a sheet.

Everyone was quiet. Even Wormtail stopped crying. Severus was the first to speak, talking to Remus like he always did when he thought the werewolf was being an idiot. "Forget it was the 21st, Lupin?"

Remus blinked in shock and then looked ready to be sick. "Oh God… I'm so sorry… Harry."

**A/N: Thanks for reading! How many of you immediately scrolled down after my author's note at the top? ;) I know I probably would have. Next up, Kim has a meltdown, and Remus explains with the hell happen twelve years ago. Please review!**


	12. The Reunion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Thank you VampirePrincess11, Savita,** **Emarye, WallWatcher33, Ceizzy, Lady R. Joseph, and Christina salvatore for reviewing! :) I wanted to update sooner, but I figured everyone needs a chance to read what I posted!**

**A/N: Two OCs pop up in this chapter. **_**They will only be in this chapter.**_** The only other OC who **_**may**_**pop up later is Harry's adoptive mother, briefly and only in one chapter in GOF. And that's a big maybe, depending on how the story goes. I figured I'd point this out because some people don't like a lot of OCs.**

Chapter 12 The Reunion

"Who's Harry?" Kim demanded. She felt like her heart was in her throat and couldn't stop staring at him. He looked just like her dad…

Remus felt his mouth like was full of sand. No one else wanted to say anything. Even Peter kept his mouth shut. Draco made a strangled noise at the sight of Sirius, but otherwise didn't say anything. It was up to him. "He's… he's your brother."

Kim shook her head, trying to deny the truth as it started to sink in. For the first time since summer, she was so upset that the loose floorboards ripped out and started to float in the air. The bed behind them collapsed when she screamed, "No! Blaise-he-he told me about your boggart! I thought it was my dad! I thought my dad was alive, and you didn't even correct me!"

"I—" Remus tried, but nothing could come out. There was nothing he could say to make it right.

"Lupin!" Severus shouted. A chair was heading straight for Remus at lightning speed. As he pushed him to the ground, Sirius and Pettigrew slammed into the floor as the levitation charm fell. The chair flew right through the rotting wall, which was quickly starting to crumble. "You need to get her out of here! The wood is already rotten! She'll kill us all if you don't!"

"SHUT UP!" Kim screamed as a chewed up stool flew at his head. A trail of blood trickled out of her nose. "You knew too and never told me! Everyone knew!"

Seeing this as an opportunity to escape, Pettigrew jumped up and tried to make a run for it, pushing Draco (who was even more confused than Harry) to the ground to do so. With Kim's wand, Sirius stunned him and smiled crazily. If anyone was going to die in here, it was going to be that disgusting rat.

"Don't come near me, Severus!" Kim made to push him away, but her magic flung him backwards into the next room.

"Hey! I-I'm upset too but…" When his sister turned to face him, Harry nearly gagged. Her eyes were starting to get red but not from crying. If they started bleeding like her nose, he would most certainly get sick.

She took a step towards him and Harry took a step back. The anger in her voice nearly covered up the hurt. "_You_ aren't my brother. I don't have one. You would have been in the pictures from when I was a baby!"

Remus finally found the courage to stand up. He was sure Severus was unconscious in the next room. They really did need her to get out of here. If she didn't hurt someone, she was most certainly going to hurt herself. "Your mother… She wanted you two to have your own identity, separate from being twins. She took individual pictures with you two as well as ones together. I have… I have the others under my bed in my room."

Slowly, the floorboards started to fall to the ground. She was starting to cry, but Remus hoped she was starting to accept what was happening. That is, until she said, "I hate you."

Hoping he wasn't going to make things worse, Sirius tried to step in. "Kimmy—"

"Harry." The sharp, commanding tone of the man's voice reminded Kim so strongly of Uncle Vernon that she started freaking out all over again. But the man who entered was more muscular than walrus-like and appeared to be at least ten years older than Uncle Vernon. He smacked Harry on the back of the head. "Did you think I wouldn't put a tracker on you? Did you really think I would believe that your brother would take you on vacation while you were suspended from school?"

Sirius gripped Kim's wand so tightly that sparks flew out. He didn't recognize the man but obviously didn't care. "Don't you dare hit him!"

The man ignored him and settled his eyes on Remus. "You aren't supposed to be within ten miles of Harry."

Remus paled. "You wrote—"

"My sons are excellent foragers." The man's lip curled in disgust. "Almost as good as my daughter. And I doubt you would recognize my signature, halfbreed."

"But I thought…" Remus shook with fear, only confusing Kim further. So much was happening that her head felt like it was going to explode.

"Dad," Harry tried, but he was ignored.

The man seemed to be enjoying this. "You will never see the light of day again, Lupin. I wonder how long you'll live."

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Kim honestly did hate Remus right now, and she was so confused that she was beginning to think this was all a horrible dream. But that didn't mean she didn't love Remus like a dad anymore, and she most certainly didn't want him to die.

"Leave him alone!" she cried. The moment she started to speak, a leg from the bed ripped off of it and started speeding for Harry's adoptive father. It was moving so fast that no one else noticed it until it was too late.

The wood went straight through him. He opened and closed his mouth several times, but nothing came out. By the time he collapsed and started bleeding, Kim couldn't take it anymore. She ran out, and once she did so, everything that was floating fell. Somethings went right through the floorboards.

Sirius was the first to act. He changed into Padfoot and chased after her.

* * *

Severus woke up about an hour later in the Hospital Wing. Since he thought everyone but him was utterly incompetent, he thought the worst: that he was still in the collapsing Shrieking Shack and that everyone else was hurt or unconscious. He sat up quickly, ignoring the dizzy that resulted.

"You're in the Hospital Wing." Lupin. He sounded exhausted, defeated. Severus tried to assure himself that he deserved it and glared at him until he continued. The werewolf sighed. "Apparently Harry's father didn't give him permission to see me. He put a tracker on Harry and showed up shortly after you passed out."

"See what happens when you don't take the time to look at a calendar once and a while, Lupin." Severus's black eyes darted around, trying to spot the brat. She had to be somewhere around here, sipping at a Calming Drought while pouting.

"We can't find her," Lupin continued to fill him in. The man looked like he had just run a marathon. "She ran off after she… _her magic_," he corrected himself. "Caused a leg from the bed to stab Harry's father. He's at St. Mungo's and will most likely be paralyzed from the waist down. Peter's at the Ministry being interrogated under truth serum. Harry's… Harry's around here somewhere getting lectured by his older brother for sneaking off to meet me without him. And Draco is running around the school freaking out and telling everyone what happened."

Severus rolled his eyes and snatched the concussion potion that Poppy put on his nightstand. He gulped it down before he could taste it. "And I take it Black's at the Ministry as well. And Albus has organized a search for Kimberly?"

Remus shook his head. "Sirius went after her. Severus, it's only been an hour. Things have just started to calm down. I was about to go look for them on one of the school brooms, but Poppy said you were waking up, so I figured I'd stop by—"

"And leave her to Black?" Severus spat. "The Ministry didn't give him truth serum, Lupin. You don't know if he's completely innocent!"

"I know he is," Remus said firmly. "It all makes sense now—"

"Shut up, Lupin." Severus got out of bed, not even looking at Poppy, who was trying to rush out of her office to force him back in. "And I am not resting, Poppy!"

* * *

Kim knew Padfoot was chasing her as she ran along the edge of Forbidden Forest, but she was too busy freaking out to stop. She killed that man! He was just threatening Remus! He didn't even _do _anything, and she killed him! She screamed as a tree fell down behind her and almost tripped. When Padfoot barked and jumped over it, relief flooded through her. At least she didn't kill him too.

It was her magic. She knew that much. But she should have had more self-control. So much was happening at once, and she couldn't take it. This had to be some horrible nightmare. She'd wake up and scream, and Hermione would yell at her for disrupting her sleep when she had to be able to concentrate to read a million textbook pages by Monday. By the time the dementors showed up, she collapsed by the lake.

Still as a dog, Padfoot yelped and looked like he wanted to run away at the sight of the dementors. Bravery won out though, and he tried to charge at them, growling and snapping if they got too close to her. Soon enough, he passed out too, and Kim wondered if the dementors were going to kill them.

The last thing she saw was a beautiful white doe.

* * *

Because of the potential security risk, Sirius was taken to St. Mungo's to recover under auror supervision. A young lawyer was actually waiting for him, and she threatened to sue the Ministry for all it was worth despite the fact that Sirius wasn't conscious enough to agree. Remus would have stayed so she wouldn't pounce on poor Sirius the moment he woke up, but he had bigger problems.

Harry's older brother, Calvin he thought his name was, wanted to explain what had happened and what he wanted to happen. He was at least twenty and had the same dark brown hair as his father. "I'm sorry. I… Harry doesn't get along with the other kids at school. They make fun of him for being a halfblood, and he gets in fights constantly. He doesn't have any friends, so… I thought if he came here, he might have a better shot."

"I don't think he'll be allowed," Remus said honestly. Actually, if Sirius gets wind of this, he was sure he would fight tooth and nail to get custody of Harry. Remus just wasn't sure what was best for the boy. He had parents, siblings. Was it right to take that away from him?

The young man flashed him a crooked smile. "I talked my mom into it this morning. My dad didn't know because they don't talk much. But only for the summer. Which starts now because Harry's suspended for the rest of the school year for cursing a bully's nostrils and mouth shut until he passed out. We'll see where it goes from there."

"And what does Harry have to say about this?" Remus didn't want to get his hopes up. It couldn't possibly be this easy, especially after all that's happened today.

Just like that, the smile was gone. "I'm always away at college. My brother and sister are a year older, so he doesn't see much of them at school. Their APWLs will be coming up, so they'll be even busier next year. And well… you've seen my dad. My mom isn't much better. He's wanted this since he turned thirteen and your lawyer sent him a letter."

"Why did he do that?" Remus said hoarsely.

Calvin shrugged. "I think it's the law here. The reason you couldn't get custody of him was because the laws say that a werewolf can't raise a non-infected child under thirteen alone. I guess your lawyer remembered your case and sent him a letter on his thirteenth birthday."

"Oh…"

They stood in awkward silence for a while after that. Eventually, Calvin left, saying he'd stop by later to bring Harry's stuff. Since Kim was still unconscious, and Severus was watching her like a hawk, Remus went searching about the castle for Harry.

He found him in the Great Hall, sitting at the Slytherin table with Draco. Remus squinted, realizing they were looking at the Marauder's Map. That explained a lot. Since he was so afraid of Sirius hurting Kim, he had forgotten to properly close it. He'd have to teach Harry about it later, but for now, he let him be. He couldn't help but recall Harry's older brother saying he had no friends.

And so, there was nothing left to do but face the music and wait for Kim to wake up. Remus tried to make up a speech in his head on the way and walked as if he were heading for the gallows. She hated him, and he deserved it.

Severus raised his eyebrows went he entered. Kim was awake but wouldn't look at him. She kept her eyes on the potion she was drinking while Severus spoke for her. "I'm surprised you found the courage to show, Lupin. I thought you'd be with Potter… or whatever name he goes by."

Remus frowned. Clearly Severus decided he already didn't like him. "It's not his fault he looks like James, Severus. Please at least be civil with him. He's going to be here until September at the very least."

Kim nearly choked on her Calming Draught. "What?"

Severus narrowed his eyes and then stomped off, probably to brood. This was going to be a great summer… Remus could already hear Severus and Sirius fighting. And arguments about Harry would only be the icing on the cake. Hopefully Severus could at least _try _to be mature about this. Remus couldn't help but remember two years ago and how he reacted when Kim was placed in Gryffindor.

Remus sighed and sat at the foot of Kim's bed. "Sorry doesn't even begin to cover it. What do you want me to explain first?"

Kim honestly didn't want to talk to Remus for a while, but she had no idea where Padfoot was, and Severus clammed up at mere mention of Harry. She was a little angry at all of them, but Remus the most. He knew she thought her dad was alive, and he was too much of a coward to correct her. It was almost like her dad died all over again.

"Tell me…" She bit her lip. "Tell me why he doesn't live with me."

Pain instantly filled Remus's eyes but somehow he was able to keep his voice steady when he spoke. "I… I didn't _want_ to leave you two with the Dursleys. Harry… Harry's my godson. You're Sirius's goddaughter. If anything happened to Lily and James, we were supposed to raise you two together, but… Well, you know what happened to Sirius. Foolishly, I thought I would have a better chance of getting the both of you if I got custody of Harry first since he's my legally godson. Because I'm… because of my condition, I lost the custody of Harry, and he got sent away from me at the farthest possible home."

Kim almost smiled. "So that's why he talks funny."

Remus laughed softly and reached out to touch her, but since she looked away, he backed off. "There's a werewolf... The werewolf who bit me, Greyback, his name is. He bites children on purpose. The Ministry thinks all werewolves are like that. Even if the parent is the biological parent, the Ministry is reluctant to allow them to raise a child under thirteen alone."

"Oh." Kim had plenty more to say. She wanted to scream and through another fit but didn't have the energy for it. Instead she said sadly, "Remus? Can I sleep in the dorms with Hermione tonight?"

Remus tried not to look surprised. He thought she would want to spend time with Harry. But he nodded and let her go. She must be in shock and a little afraid too. It wasn't every day you met a sibling you didn't know you had.

* * *

Ginny couldn't believe she was doing this, but it had been two days, and Kim was being a baby. Hermione was enabling her because they would always hide together in the library. Ron didn't trust Harry because he hung around Malfoy all the time, and Neville didn't want to do anything that could upset Kim.

Bravely, Ginny walked over to the Slytherin table and cleared her throat. "Hello. My name is Ginny and—"

Malfoy smirked. "Don't trust her. She's a weasel worshipper."

The boy spun around to stare but didn't say anything. Ginny turned scarlet. Oh Merlin… Why'd he have to be cute?

"There's no such thing!" Blaise Zabini interjected. "This isn't funny, Draco! Kim's barely spoken to anyone these past few days."

"Is that what it is?" Malfoy dramatically looked around as if trying to hear something. "I thought I had finally gotten rid of that horrible, annoying, ringing in my ears."

"She can't be that bad, can she?" Harry only spoke to Malfoy, and Ginny almost groaned. If Kim was brave enough, Malfoy wouldn't have the opportunity to brainwash him!

Ginny hurried up and answered before Malfoy could intervene. Everyone around them was getting quiet. They all wanted to know about Harry, but he didn't speak to anyone. Anyone who tried to approach him only got stuttering. Ginny didn't know why he wanted to be here so badly if he wasn't going to talk to anyone, but she supposed it was none of her business. "No. She isn't that bad. Sometimes she seems like it, but that's because she's obnoxious and thinks she's being cute."

"She is cute," Zabini said firmly, like it wasn't up for debate.

Malfoy glared at him and then turned to Harry. "She smacked me in the face once. So hard I bruised."

"Because you cursed Neville!" Ginny shot back. She rolled her eyes, put her hands on her hips, and tried to only keep her eyes on Harry. "The point is she feels just as funny about this whole thing as you do. So will you go see her?"

Harry stared for a moment but couldn't bring himself to speak to her. Instead, he only shook his head and turned back to his breakfast. Ginny growled to herself and marched back to her table. At least Sirius was coming back today. Maybe he could knock some sense into everyone.

* * *

Sirius could tell that Remus was avoiding him these last two days while he was in the hospital because he only showed up at night about fifteen minutes before he fell asleep from all the potions he was given. From what he did get out of Remus, Kim was avoiding Harry, and Harry was on the fast track to becoming an honorary Slytherin. Sirius tried not think about that and focus on the fact that Harry was staying at the very least until September. Now all he had to do was figure out a way to get everyone together. With any luck, Remus would be able to help.

But he lost some hope when his portkey took him to Hogwarts' Gates, and it was Luna waiting for him, not Remus. He tried not to let his disappointment show, and if it did, Luna refused to acknowledge it. She smiled dreamily as always as they headed for the castle.

"So are you going to be staying at the castle from now on, Snuffles?" she asked lightly.

"You know," Sirius said slowly. "You don't have to call me Snuffles anymore, Luna."

Luna acted like she didn't hear him. "Because I don't think Kim's going to come out of the library without you, Snuffles. And she's not the type of person that can last long in the library. Blaise thinks she'll explode by the end of the day."

"Where's Remus?" Sirius asked, trying not to think about Blaise. Sure, the kid made sure he didn't starve to death for nearly a month, but that didn't mean he was good enough for Kimmy, damn it! No one was! James said so after a play date with Neville that resulted in her giving the other tot a wet, sloppy, baby kiss.

Luna thinned her lips like she agreed that he should be here too, but soon enough, she brightened back to her cheerful self. "He's letting a student finish his test during lunch. I like Professor Lupin's practical tests more than his essay tests. Ravenclaws are less likely to cry during practicals. I hate it when my housemates cry, even if they aren't my friends."

Sirius thought back to his NEWTs finals. Some students got so stressed out over not knowing one stupid question that they cried. Lily was one of them, during her Potions final, and James forced himself to cry during his Charms final so she wouldn't feel like she was the only one. He shuddered at the memory of James stealing his scarf to wipe his nose. "It is a little off putting, isn't it?"

Luna hummed in agreement. "People get weird when they're afraid, even over silly things."

_Imagine when it's not silly things,_ Sirius thought. Everyone had the right to be afraid, Remus especially, since he was kind of seen as the bad guy in all of this. He wouldn't get mad at him over not meeting him at the Gates. That was the least of their worries.

* * *

"You said there'd be cake." Kim kept her eyes on Sirius, trying not to look at Remus and Harry. The four of them were alone in Professor Dumbledore's office to try to sort things out. She couldn't help but notice that Severus wasn't here. Since it was clear Sirius arranged this meeting, he probably wasn't invited.

"Erm…" Sirius looked to Remus for help, but his eyes were practically glued to his shoes. Kim's friend, Hermione he believed her name was, said that if he promised strawberry shortcake, Kim would come out of the library and actually talk to them. Once she saw that he was trying to get everyone to meet, he figured the cake wouldn't be necessary. Clearly, he was wrong.

Kim put her hands in her pockets and looked away. "All you had to do was ask."

Sirius laughed awkwardly. "I just got out of the hospital. Cut me some slack, Kimmy."

Kim bit her tongue to keep herself from yelling at him to stop calling her that. Instead, she mumbled, "Severus wouldn't let me visit you because I failed my History test Monday morning."

"Yeah, well, Snape's a git." Sirius smiled at Harry. "He's the dungeon bat with greasy hair that lurks about. Careful, he's a vampire who smells fear."

Harry's eyes widened like he wasn't sure if he was kidding or not. Sirius couldn't help but be disappointed when Remus's head snapped up. "Sirius. Please don't start with that. It's been seventeen years since school."

"Why? Because he's your _friend?_" Sirius asked childishly.

Remus threw his hands up in the air like he couldn't believe Sirius was doing this. "I'd like to think so, yes. Severus can be a bit rough around the edges, but he's been here for three years. And he didn't have to be, Sirius."

"Rough around the edges," Sirius grumbled but decided to drop it. Instead, he put a hand on both Harry's and Kim's shoulders, trying to ignore the fact that Harry flinched and Kim glared at him. This was supposed to be easy. "Now. I want you two to at least talk to each other. I think that's a good start."

Kim grinned at Harry, looking at little crazed. "My name's Kim. I thought you were my dead dad, so sorry if I'm a little disappointed by your existence."

"Kimberly Lily Potter," Remus snapped when Harry paled and took a step back. "It's not his fault I was too afraid to tell you the truth! Apologize."

Kim pursed her lips. She really didn't want to, but she hated it when Remus yelled at her. "Fine. Sorry, Harry. I'm just a little grumpy because I was falsely promised cake."

_We can get cake later! _ Sirius shouted in his head. Harry had yet to say a word! As much as he hated to admit it, he knew this was hard, but she could at least _try_.

"It's… It's okay." Harry didn't make eye contact, wishing he knew why she didn't like him already. Her friends didn't like him either. Well, the red haired boy didn't. He glared at him while his round face boy tried to smile. Draco said they were all weird and that the red haired boy sucked his thumb. Harry only believed the first part, but the second part at least made him smile.

No one else said anything after that, so Remus figured he should explain himself to Harry. "I'm sorry I forgot you were coming. I… I was so nervous about meeting you that I kept pushing it in the back of my mind, telling myself that you were coming next week, and I'd worry about it then. And then the date snuck up on me… I—I'm having a hard time, but there's no excuse for it."

Kim clenched her jaw. He had arranged a meeting and everything! Her brother was going to be in the castle, and she wouldn't even know it. She didn't say anything, but that only made her angrier at Remus.

Sensing that his goddaughter was about to explode, Sirius quickly intervened. "Well, everything worked out in the end. Not to worry! We'll have lots of fun this summer!"

No one seemed to believe him, but Sirius tried to remain optimistic. Thankfully, he had something good to say in response to Kimmy's, "I spend half the summer at the Dursleys."

"Nope." Sirius laughed. "I'm your godfather, and the Ministry's going to be kissing my arse for, well, as long as I can get them to. My name was cleared this morning."

Kim brightened up for the first time in days, so Remus didn't have the heart to tell Sirius that Albus was probably going to fight him on this. He'd explain the Blood Wards after curfew, when he was sure that she wouldn't be hiding in the doorway, listening in. Hopefully she'd only have to spend a day or two in Privet Drive.

Thinking things were starting to look up, Sirius grabbed Remus's arm and starting heading out of the headmaster's office. "Excellent! Now it's time for our first family dinner! The house elves are waiting for us!"

Kim narrowed her eyes, waiting for Remus to get out of earshot. Once she thought he couldn't hear, she said to Harry, "Vote for cake for dinner, and I'll be nice to you for the rest of the week."

"Cake-cake is f-fine," Harry responded as quickly as he could. She smiled at him, and he gave her a small smile back. Things were going to turn out all right. He was sure of it.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! So what do you think? Harry will be more in character in GOF once he gets used to everyone. :) Please review!**


	13. The Second Kiss

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Thank you Emarye and xXAureliaXx for reviewing!**

**Emarye: I **_**did**_** consider killing him but figured that would be a distraction from what I wanted to write.**

**xXAureliaXx: I hope you got my PM! Severus doesn't hate Harry, even though Harry may think it. He'll just be on the cold side for a little bit towards him.**

Chapter 13 The Second Kiss

As much as Sirius tried to force otherwise, things were… strained after that day, to say the least. Every night, Padfoot made the four of them to have dinner together in the kitchens. Kim tried to be nice. She really did, but Harry hardly spoke, and she wasn't all that nice to begin with (these Ginny's words, not her own), especially when she was trying to cover up hurt feelings. At least Harry stopped stuttering around them by the time Remus came back from the full moon, which was two days before the Quidditch Final. Finally, Remus intervened.

"Harry did you know that Kim and Draco used to be close friends?" Remus's mouth twitched with effort not to smile as Kim's eyes looked like they were going to shoot from their sockets and bounce around the room.

Kim banged her head on the table as Harry looked to her for confirmation. Groaning, she sat up to answer him. "He's a meathead who's jealous because I'm better than him at everything."

Harry blinked in surprise. "He said almost the exact same thing about you. Except he called you an airhead instead of a meathead."

Kim's eye twitched before she hissed, "I haaaaaaaate him!"

She threw her head back on the table, so Sirius patted the top of it. "Don't worry, Kimmy. Boys are horrible, disgusting creatures. I should know. I was one."

Remus shot him a look that said, _You're not helping._ Since Severus had been giving him the silent treatment, he had hoped that Sirius would be a bit more _mature_, to say the least. "So I thought the three of you could do something together. I could get Albus to let you three go to Hogsmeade this Sunday. No one else from school would be there."

Kim didn't bother lifting up her head as Remus explained Hogsmeade to Harry. There was no way in hell she was going to go. How could Remus do that to her two days before the big match? They were canceling classes and everything! The whole thing was turning into a spring festival to give everyone a chance to relax before finals started! Oh who was she kidding? She was stuck going if she didn't want to face a lecture from Remus, Padfoot, and probably Blaise or Ginny.

* * *

Severus did not understand why Kimberly kept bursting into his office unannounced. With Black swooping in and being godfather of the year and the James Potter clone that insinuated himself in his House, she shouldn't have time for him. But there she was, sitting in front of his desk uninvited. He was surprised Black didn't pop out from the shadows and start yelling at him for spending time with the girl.

"Do you think Remus will let us add on to his house this summer?" she chattered on while he graded papers and pretended to ignore her. "Because we'll need a room for Sirius, and apparently another room for you." She pouted. "Because yours was stolen."

Severus stopped mid-critical comment and raised his eyebrows at Kimberly's bitter tone. So that was it. The brat was jealous of her brother. "What makes you think I will be spending the summer with you, Kimberly?"

Kim stared, trying not to notice the sinking feeling in her chest. It was obvious that Sirius and Severus didn't like each other but… "You always do."

"Because legally Lupin can't be alone with you. And given the fact that we've pretty much kidnapped you from the Dursleys two summers in a row, we wanted to cause as little trouble as possible." Severus continued writing at the bottom of the essay. If he kept his eyes on the parchment, he wouldn't have to acknowledge the fact that her lip was quivering. "You have Black now. You can go back to terrorizing me in September."

Kim felt her eyes well up with tears. She was a little angry at all the adult figures in her life but Severus the least. He could've told her about Harry, but she could tell that he thought it wasn't his place. Plus, he was the only one who wasn't trying to force her and Harry to be instant best friends. "But-but we'll be together during the full moon at least. Right?"

Severus didn't stop writing. "I would imagine that you'll go to the Weasleys."

Taking his coldness for indifference, Kim jumped out of her seat and ran off. Once she was gone, Severus threw down the quill and rubbed tiredly at his eyes. He could already feel a migraine coming on. What else could he do? Black wasn't going to let him near her. Lupin was so guilt ridden that he was pretty much useless. There was nothing he could do to change it.

* * *

Kim was in a rather sour mood by the time she was stuck going to Hogsmeade. Sirius said she had to go, so she had taken to calling him Chicken Finger again. It hurt too much to call him Sever, even though she knew that would really make him feel guilty. She was glad Padfoot was free, but she kind of felt like the little family she had with Severus and Remus was completely destroyed. Severus wouldn't even talk to Remus anymore.

Therefore, she wasn't all sunshine and butterflies in Three Broomsticks with Draco and Harry. Not even Madam Rosmerta could cheer her up when she called her pretty like her mum. Of course, Draco instantly picked up on it.

He pointed to her face shortly after they sat down. "See how she looks like Granger's cat when she's pouting?"

Harry frowned, not entirely sure it was an insult or not. It probably was, but he had never seen the cat, to his knowledge. "Millicent's cat?"

Draco shook his head. "Her last name is Bulstrode. Granger's cat is that bloated orange fuzz ball that waddles about the castle." Kim narrowed her eyes, and he smirked like she was further proving his point. "Anyway, it's one of those cats that looks like its face was smashed like a pancake."

"Crookshanks is _not_ bloated!" Kim said through clenched teeth.

Draco rubbed one of his ears like it was bothering him. "See? That awful ringing in my ears is back. Do you hear it too?"

Harry went back to being shy and clamped his mouth shut, looking at Kim as if she really were Crookshanks and would pounce on him. "N-no…"

Draco clapped Harry on the back, and Kim noticed that he didn't flinch like he did when anyone else tried to touch him. "Not to worry, mate. She'll pipe down once I kick her scrawny arse at the game Tuesday."

Kim stuck her nose in the air. "_I_ am going to win, and the only reason you won last year was because you swallowed the Snitch!"

"Almost swallowed," Draco corrected before adding smugly, "And I still won."

Kim sneered at him before turning to Harry. "Do _you_ play Quidditch?"

Harry, who was about to eat his sandwich, blushed and put it down. "At-at home. But I was banned at the fields at school because I laced all the teams' robes with an itching solution."

Kim nodded. "I prefer laxatives but well played."

Draco rolled his eyes as they started eating. At least when Pansy interrogated him later, he would have Harry to back him up when he told her that they talked about bloated cats and laxatives. He doubted his new friend would agree out loud that Kim was her usual pigheaded self, but Pansy would believe that part. This was definitely one of the weirdest ways to end the school year.

* * *

"Hey!" Draco couldn't believe he was doing this, but from what he could gather, Sunday lunch was the nicest Kim had been to Harry, and, she barely spoke to him and mostly argued with Draco about Quidditch the whole time. She had to at least _try._ Harry was a good friend.

Kim spun around but relaxed once she saw Harry wasn't with him. She motioned for the Weaselette to leave them be and walked over to him. "If this is about the match tomorrow, I'm showing no mercy."

"No. It's about you being a cowardly little twit! Harry thinks you don't like him because you won't give him the time of day unless forced to." Draco flinched, fully prepared to be smacked in the face. He was being harsh, but he knew that it bothered Harry that she didn't seem to like him very much. Once he opened his eyes, he could see that Kim wasn't too happy by what he said, but she wasn't surprised either.

Kim turned beat red. He was the first to full on call her out on this. "Oh really? Well did you tell him that you wouldn't give _me_ the time of day when other people were around because I'm a halfblood, but became instant best friends with him? Or that Remus forced me to hang out with you two but doesn't care that Harry won't talk to _my_ friends? Or that Severus isn't going to be around anymore? Or that Padfoot always asks _him_ what _he_ wants to do this summer but completely blows me off when I say I want to spend _some time_ at Spinner's End?"

Draco stared open mouthed all throughout her little rant. She was jealous and at least a little bit rightfully so. But what good would it do to tell her that Harry didn't come near the Gryffindor table because he was afraid of Weasley? Or that Severus had more of a problem with Black than Harry? Or that Black hated the idea of her seeing Severus as more of a father figure than her own father? And he refused to explain the difference of what Harry to meant to him and what she did. Instead, he did the dumbest thing imaginable. He showed her.

When he kissed her, he felt her immediately tense in surprise. However the moment she started kissing him back, he pulled away. He refused to look at her face. Knowing how she felt would make it too hard, especially since he didn't know how he truly felt himself. "I-I have to go."

* * *

"So what should I do, Ginny?" Kim whined a few hours before the match. She tried to talk to Hermione about the kiss, but she told her she should be studying for finals. And then Ron butted in and said it was probably supposed to serve as a distraction for the match.

Ginny wrinkled her nose in disgust as they roamed about the empty halls. "Forget about that prat and go snog Zabini! That's what you should do! Remember Zabini? Totally hot and a hundred times better than Malfoy?"

"I like Blaise," Kim agreed. "But I…" She blushed, not wanting to admit that she fancied Draco just a teensy bit more. "You're right, Blaise is better."

Ginny stopped in her tracks. She should lead Kim away and take her to the festival by the Quidditch fields. But Malfoy was the scum of the earth, and she wanted her friend to see, so she could finally get over him. "I know. I mean, look at him."

"Huh?" Kim looked over to where Ginny was pointing and felt her insides freeze up. Draco was taking advantage of the empty castle too… with Pansy. They were making out like there was no tomorrow and if their mouths broke apart for a split second, Pansy would erupt in girlish giggles. "He…" Kim hung her head. She was upset right now, but she knew by the time the match started, she would be furious. "He's going to pay."

* * *

"Did they used to date?" Harry had been wanting to ask this for a while but only now found the courage to do so. He was sitting in the teachers' stands at the Quidditch Stadium with Sirius and Remus. Professor Snape sat next to Remus but mostly talked to Draco's parents. Draco's father kept giving Harry funny looks, but after receiving a pissed off look from his wife, he stopped.

Remus chuckled. "They've come close. Or at least, come close to making Severus sprout his first grey hair."

Harry watched Kim zoomed around the Quidditch field, staring at Draco until he became so uncomfortable that he couldn't concentrate. "Because they act like they hate each other but…"

"Actually," Remus said cheerfully, knowing that he was going to put Sirius and Severus in equally bad moods. "They remind me a lot of your parents, Lily and James, when they were in school."

For the first time in over a week, Severus spoke to him. "If that was so, which it certainly is _not_, Kimberly would be that boar James Potter."

Sirius literally growled, but Remus chose not to acknowledge it. "I never said she wasn't. I was hoping she'd have a little more of Lily's… kindness, but it seems Harry got most of it."

Severus scowled and went back to not talking to Remus. He gritted his teeth when Kimberly pretended to fall, scared the living daylights out of Draco, and used the opportunity to catch the Snitch. The poor boy didn't even notice at first and was staring at the place Kimberly would've fell with absolute horror.

"Oh!" Narcissa sighed sadly as the crowd erupted into cheers. "He fell for the oldest trick in the book! Poor boy!"

"Poor fool," Lucius muttered. When was Draco going to realize that it was Pansy, _Pansy_, who was right for him? At least this would give him the opportunity to paint Kimberly in a bad light.

* * *

Sirius waited until the day after the match to talk to Dumbledore. He had partied with the Gryffindor's after the match, and made friends with Fred and George Weasley, who thought he was a 'badass' for not only surviving Azkaban, but for being a Marauder too.

He didn't entirely believe Remus when he told him that Dumbledore would want Kimmy to go to the Dursleys for a couple weeks. In his mind, Dumbledore just pretended that he cared so much about the Blood Wards because he didn't trust Kimmy around Snape all the time. It was the most logical explanation after all.

As a result, Sirius went to see Albus without a care in the world. "So you'll back me up when I petition for custody of Kimmy next week, right?"

When Albus wouldn't meet his eye, Sirius knew he shouldn't be surprised. However he still felt shocked when the old man said solemnly, "It's best for her to be at the Dursleys for at least a few weeks, Sirius. Severus is close with Septima. She'll tell you when it's best to pick her up."

"Excuse me?" Sirius laughed at the absurdity of the old man thinking he had any say in this. "My goddaughter isn't setting foot in Privet Drive this summer. Or ever again."

Albus rose from his seat. "Do you want Voldemort to be able to touch her? Death Eaters to be able to gain excess to where she is sleeping? Petunia knows about the protection of the Blood Wards. I will speak with her—"

"Like that'll change anything," Sirius spat. "You're lucky I don't burn that fucking house to the ground, Albus! If you think for one bloody second—"

"I am her magical guardian until you get the proper paperwork from the Ministry," Albus said firmly. "And I'll draw this out for half the summer, if necessary."

"I can protect her," Sirius said quietly. "Even from you."

"Part of protecting her is keeping the Blood Wards intact," Albus argued.

Sirius scoffed. While he agreed that the Blood Wards were a valuable way of protecting her, he wasn't about to pay the price for keeping them. It wasn't worth it. "You know that I'll win. You're just delaying the inevitable."

Albus nodded. He knew the Ministry was going to give Sirius what he wanted, but if he could have one more year of the Blood Wards working, he was going to do whatever it took. "Not to worry, Sirius. She'll be safe with you by mid-July."

Kim, who had been frozen outside of Dumbledore's office, only ran off when she heard Sirius storming out angrily, calling Professor Dumbledore a rather fowl name as he went. McGonagall had sent her to the headmaster's office after Pansy called her a cheating harlot for what happened at the match, and Kim had retaliated by hexing her eyes crossed and then pulling at her short hair as hard as she could. She thought that was going easy on her. She could have told that pug-faced bitch that Draco kissed her.

But now, she had bigger problems. She was going back to the Dursleys.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Two chapters left! So, for the one-shot that I post at the end to announce the sequel, you have three choices: 1. A fluffy Severus and Kim moment from the future, 2. A sixth year Blaise and Draco rivalry scene, and 3. A little Blaise and Sirius snippet from when he was bringing him food. Or tell me in a review if you want to see something else. :)**


	14. The Betrayal

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Thank you Guest, VampirePrincess11, Guest, ViChaseGranger, Guest, Emarye, and Christina salvatore for reviewing!**

**ViChaseGranger- Most people want #2, but I have #1 and #2 written, so maybe I'll include them both or hold on to the other one for when I post Ootp.**

**Guest #3- Yeah he is, but he'll slowly start growing up in GOF and (hopefully) be more likable.**

**Emarye- If it doesn't win, I'll include it in a flashback either chapter 2 or 3 of GoF.**

**Christina salvatore- Yeah the shit really hits the fan because of it… If that's an American expression (I know some of you live elsewhere), it means everything kind of goes bad after that. (The review stated that Kim shouldn't be listening in.)**

Chapter 14 The Betrayal

Final exams were about a week away when Kim found the courage to talk to Severus. She didn't make it until right before curfew, however, because Hermione had a breakdown while studying and started crying hysterically for nearly an hour. Kim tried to convince her to drop a class, but all she could get was Hermione to promise not to take Divination _next year_. Before she left for Severus, she whispered to Ginny and Neville to try to at least get Hermione to drop something else for next year too. Ron's job was to stall McGonagall or Percy if she was running late and didn't make it in time for curfew.

"Severus?" He was grading in poor lighting as usual, and Kim hoped he wasn't grading her essay. It was fine but not as long as usual. She had been getting bad headaches while reading lately and chalked it up to stress.

The potion's master didn't look up from the parchment. "If this is about your essay, Kimberly. You did well, but I prefer more detail. And I know you are once again failing History and that your Arithmancy grade is slipping. Lucky for you, it is no longer my place to care."

Unfortunately, that was a very wrong thing to say. Kim instantly burst into tears and all Severus could hear her sob was, "Pa-Padfoot said that-that no one cares about History and-and Remus said-he said that I should read a little bit each night! They didn't even yell!"

"Kimberly," Severus tried, but she wouldn't stop bawling loudly. Fine. She wanted someone to yell at her after all. "KIMBELRY!" That at least stopped the wailing. "What do you want? I highly doubt you came here to talk about your grades. Although for a moment, I was foolish enough to hope."

Sniffling, Kim somehow managed a small smile. "I want our old life back. I ruined it."

Severus raised his eyebrows. "So you want Lupin to continue lying to you and Black to continue being imprisoned? The latter does sound nice, doesn't it?"

Kim wiped her nose on her sleeve, laughing when Severus glared at her. "I miss when it was just the three of us. You…" Her eyes started to water again. "You don't want to be my dad anymore!"

Not sure how to respond to that without admitting to being like a father to her, Severus thinned his lips and said, "Black is insufferable. All I will do is fight with him. There is no point in bothering because Black is your godfather. He has more rights than I do."

To Severus's horror, Kim started crying again. Thankfully this time, it wasn't as loudly or as uncontrollably. "No, he doesn't. I have to go back to the Dursleys. Dumbledore told Padfoot last week! I-I get so lonely there, and they hate me and…"

Severus wasn't in the least bit surprised. However, Fudge was so embarrassed about the Ministry never giving Black a trial in the first place that he'd kiss the convict's shoe if asked. Albus may be able to drag this out one more year but at least Black was good for something. This would be the last time. "Black will win. I will be surprised if you are there for more than two weeks, Kimberly."

_You don't understand how long that is!_ Kim wanted to scream at him. She would be hungry and hurt and worst of all, terrified. It was hard to admit why she was particularly afraid, but if Severus was going to come up with a solution, she had to do it. "Last time I was there, I threatened Aunt Marge with a knife," she admitted quietly. "They won't forget, and I'm afraid."

Severus stared. Whenever she had to go back to the Dursleys, he knew she was scared out of her mind, but this time was different. This time she was willing to say so. He thought she would never talk about it, even as an adult. "And what do you think is going to happen?"

Kim started to cry loudly again. She didn't know what was going to happen, but it was by far the worst thing she had ever done to the Dursleys, sans accidental magic. Once Sirius told her she didn't have to go to the Dursleys, she didn't bother to worry about it, but now, she had been bottling up her fears for over a week.

Severus sighed. There was nothing he could do, but there was something he could try. He doubted it would work, but he was going to try, for her. "Stop crying, Kimberly. I will talk to Black. Perhaps he can arrange it so you can with me until all the paperwork is signed. We'll have to see if he despises Petunia more than me."

Kim swallowed down a sob and didn't say anything. She stayed with Severus will he finished up his grading, eventually nodding off. When she woke up the next morning, she was tucked into her bed in Gryffindor Tower in her rumpled uniform. She had a dull ache in her chest but hoped Severus could make everything better.

* * *

Severus felt like a fool. No worse, he felt like he was a teenager again and that he was forced to work on a project with Black or Potter. Sighing irritably, he knocked loudly on the door of the room Black was staying in before he could change his mind and head back to the dungeons. It was his free period. Lupin would be teaching, so he knew Black was eagerly waiting for him like a dog waits for its master to return home after work.

As expected, Black ripped open the door with a stupid smile on his face. "Remus?" At the sight of Severus, Black's face crumpled. "What?"

Severus sneered at him. "Don't worry, Black. I didn't come here willingly. I need to talk to you about Kimberly."

"Really?" Black said condescendingly, pretending to sound surprised. "Because unless it's about her Potion's grade, there's nothing to talk about, Snivellus."

Severus took a minute to imagine how easily it would be to ruin Black's aristocratic features. Azkaban already did half the job for him. Black looked at least ten years older than he was. "It is about the Dursleys. I've been informed that she will in fact be spending some time there this summer."

Black narrowed his eyes. "Who told you that?"

"She did," Severus said slowly, thinking Black was being stupid. He didn't know that Kimberly overheard the mutt's conversation with Albus. "And considering the fact that she has been in my charge before, I think that the Ministry may allow her to spend a few weeks with me while you figure out how to sign your name on a document."

Sirius turned a little pink but tried not to let it get to him. "If she can stay somewhere else, she can always stay with the Weasleys. Arthur works at the Ministry. He'll pull a few strings."

Severus snorted. "Arthur Weasley is the laughing stock of the Ministry. Most think his job is about as important as the house elves who scrape gum off the floors. Fudge would sooner send her to live with Hagrid."

Black laughed bitterly. "And what? You think they'd rather leave her with you? A Death Eater?"

"Listen to me, Black," Severus growled. "She is—"

"She isn't going to see your greasy head until September," Black snapped. "No. You listen to me, you pathetic little slime ball," he hissed when Severus tried to interrupt. "I don't know what game you've been playing these past few years, but it's over. You've duped her into thinking you care about her, and I think it's sick. You'd turn her in to Voldemort the first chance you got. Don't deny it! I'm telling her what you are this summer."

The tables had definitely turned. Severus had been drilling those words into Kimberly's head about Black not too long ago. Would she believe him? Most likely. Because the past was at least true and Lupin wouldn't dare lie to her again. Without another word, Severus turned heel and left.

* * *

"You did what?" Remus yelled later that night when Sirius stopped by his room to tell him about Snape's visit. Sirius tried to grab his arm, but he shook himself out of his grasp. "I can't believe you said that to him! He was only trying to help!"

Not really seeing the problem, Sirius scoffed. "He—"

"Is not sixteen years old anymore," Remus yelled over him. "And I was hoping you weren't either."

Since it was Remus, and no one else, Sirius was able to say what was really bothering him, albeit reluctantly. He trusted Snape about as much as he trusted Wormtail, but it was more than that. "I… It's not fair to James that Kimmy looks up to him so much. It's not fair that he can be there for her, and James can't. James should be with us. And Lily. We should all be together."

"I know, Sirius." Remus put a hand on Sirius's shoulder, but quickly let go. "But James would want her to be happy. And if that meant spending some time with Severus over the summer, he would agree… After Lily threatened to make him eat her cooking for the night, of course."

Sirius smiled sadly, knowing it was true. Still, he had to ask. "Do you trust him?"

Remus returned the smile, knowing this was hard for Sirius. He never had much of an opportunity to properly grieve. "With my life."

* * *

When Blaise told her they were having a study session for the Defense final exam, Kim thought that he meant just the two of them. She had really appreciated it because she needed Remus-level help and reading was still giving her a nasty headache. However, she didn't expect Harry to be their tutor.

Draco smirked at the look of horror on her face but quickly frowned when Blaise squeezed her hand in comfort. It was obviously the first time he did so, judging by her jumping in surprise, but she didn't snatch her hand away like he felt she should. He couldn't help but feel a little betrayed. He knew he shouldn't, since he betrayed Pansy by kissing her. Unfortunately that didn't make him feel any better.

Blaise tried not to smile. There was no need to rub salt in the wound. Not when Draco was doing his best to be nice anyway. Ignoring Draco, he smiled at Harry, trying to earn his friendship. "We learned in the review quiz today that Harry's the best in the class, even though he's only been in it for a few weeks"

Harry blushed to the roots of his hair while Kim frowned. He was going to classes with the Slytherins? She supposed that made sense. What else was he going to do? Wait around for Draco to finish for the day?

Finally, Kim decided to try to be nice with Harry. It was either him or Hermione, who threw a book at her and then started crying yesterday. Plus, he wasn't _that_ bad. "I think I'm going to get eaten by hinkypunks next week."

"They wouldn't eat you," Harry muttered, keeping his eyes on his textbook. "They'd just drink your blood."

"Right." Kim wanted to say, _All of it?! Because that's pretty much the same as eating!_ But she figured Harry would think she was yelling at him. "Well… Blaise dubbed me in charge for the Potion's final. So I'll help you with that."

Harry finally looked up from his textbook. Potions was his worst subject, but even better, she was willing to help him with it. "Cool."

* * *

Kim spent her last day before finals hanging with Ron because, well, what could be more carefree than spending the day with Ron? If she read one more book, which is what would happen if she was under Hermione's radar, she was sure she'd throw up. After all that had happened these past few weeks, she only wanted to pass.

But today, that didn't matter. She and Ron were going to fly around on her Firebolt and not waste another minute thinking about school. Kim laughed as he zoomed just over her head. "Wanna ask Harry if we can borrow his? We can race!"

Frowning, Ron descended and jumped off his broom. "No… He might tamper with it."

Kim cocked her head to the side. "Why would he do that?"

Ron stared at her as if he thought the answer was obvious. "Does Malfoy ring any bells? They're best friends! He even spends time with Crabbe and Goyle when Malfoy's off with Pugsy! He's practically a Slytherin."

"He's too nice," Kim argued. "Weird, isn't it?"

Ron shrugged and handed her the broom. "I don't trust him. Or Zabini."

_Why?_ Kim wanted to ask but knew it would be no use. Ron was too stubborn. Instead, she said, "But you'll leave him alone, right? Remus'll have my head if you bother him, and we barely talk as it is."

Ron shook his head. "I know. I wouldn't do that to you. I just don't like them, that's all. Maybe if I meet him this summer without Malfoy it won't be so bad."

"Maybe." Kim gripped her broom tightly. If she made more of an effort, maybe Harry would be here right now, awkwardly making friends with Ron while she teased him about Ginny's little crush on him. But it wasn't that easy for her. Something was holding her back.

Pushing her thoughts to the side, Kim turned her broom in the position that it would need to be if she was going to mount it. She grinned in a way that Ron knew meant she was going to dare him into doing something. "I have an idea."

* * *

Because Remus was ready to have a heart attack, Sirius let out a bark like laugh as they watch Kimmy and Ron hanging upside-down from the Firebolt, holding hands while they dangled from it. They must be at least thirty feet in the air. "Do you think the 'M' stands for Marauder, Moony?"

If Remus wasn't so terrified by how high they were flying, he would have rolled her eyes. "I think Kim scared the living daylights out of Ron, and he's holding her hand because he thinks they're going to fall to their deaths."

Sirius scoffed. "Like that'll help. It stands for Marauder. Next, they'll do it right side up and make a 'W' for Weasley."

"If they'll ever be able to get down," Remus muttered fearfully.

But Sirius wasn't listening. "Do you think they can make a 'P' for Prongs?" he asked wistfully. "James would love it."

"Yes, he would." Remus put an arm around Sirius's shoulder. "He'd try to teach them in a secret place, so Lily wouldn't see them on the 'wooden death-trap' as she called Kim and Harry's first brooms."

Sirius nodded but didn't say anything. He never really sat down and let James and Lily's deaths sink in. Sometimes, when he was just falling asleep, he could swear that he could hear James laughing at him, getting ready to dump a bucket of ice water on him. He would sit up with a start, cold as if the ice was really poured on him. But there was no James to smirk and hand him a towel, no Lily to scold him and call them both dunderheads when Sirius started laughing too. Instead, there was nothing but silence.

Finally, as Kimmy and Ron managed to float back down, Sirius asked, "Do you think I'm betraying James if I apologize to Snape?"

"No." Remus smiled sadly as he watched Kim laugh and tease Ron now that they were safe on the ground. "You'd probably be doing him a favor, helping him get on Lily's good side. He's probably done something goofy to upset her for the day."

Sirius sighed in relief. Remus couldn't possibly know, but it was still good to hear him say it. "I'll talk to him tomorrow."

* * *

Looking back on it, Sirius later realized it was a big mistake to try to talk to Snape during the day. What the greasy git did was unforgivable, but Sirius supposed it couldn't have happened when Snape was in his office or on patrol after curfew.

Sirius knew Snape had a free period, so he walked into his classroom uninvited to find him giving a last minute study session to his NEWTs students. He noticed that his childhood enemy was paler than he had last seen him and had dark circles under his eyes. Trying to push his guilty feelings aside, Sirius opened his mouth to ask if they could speak in private, but it was already too late.

Snape was furious with him, obviously, but Sirius didn't think he was going to retaliate. Worst of all, he took Remus down with him, the one man who stood up for the prat.

"Oh are you here to pick up Lupin's Wolfsbane, Black?" he drawled coolly as Sirius paled, and the students between them started whispering to each other. "Because you are about two weeks early."

Sirius gaped, too stunned to respond as Snape went back to teaching as if nothing happened. Two sentences. Two short sentences and he destroyed Remus's career. Why…? How could he…? Remus had said they were friends.

Apparently not anymore. Snape let out a small, bitter laugh as Sirius stood there like an idiot. "Are you trying to catch flies, Black? Leave. You're distracting my students. Go back to your wolf. He can give you some tips on how to properly house train yourself."

That was the last straw. For a second, he thought he actually hurt that worthless piece of trash's feelings. But how could that be possible when he didn't even have any besides spitefulness? Sirius took out his wand and started dueling Snape until one of the NEWTs students reached Dumbledore to stun them both.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! So far, number 2 is winning! Don't be too mad at Severus! :'( He thought he was being shut out. One chapter left!**


	15. The End

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Thank you Emarye for reviewing! Chapter 3 of GOF is the chapter with your OTP dust!**

Chapter 15 The End

"Hey Kimmy," Sirius said sadly in his bed in the Hospital Wing. Severus did a number on him and cursed blisters all over his chest. He refused to brew him the proper salve, which Sirius understood since he hexed the other man's eye out of his socket. It wasn't one of his proudest moments since he got his wand back…

Kim waved sadly and put some half dead flowers by his bedside. "They wilted while I was trying to get Remus to come see you. He said he had to pack his things, and Harry's helping him."

"Yeah. I figured as much." Sirius resisted the urge to itch at his bandages. Without the salve, he was forced to use the slow acting stuff. Hopefully the blisters wouldn't scar.

Kim looked at her feet. This was her fault. "I overheard you talking to Dumbledore. I got scared, so I asked Severus to talk to you for me."

_Why couldn't you ask me about it?_ Sirius desperately wanted to know. She was his goddaughter, damn it! She should be able to come to him for anything. "I'm sorry. I wanted to apologize after Remus gave me a proper scolding but…"

"He may be mean, but Severus always helps me! But now he…" Kim's glistened with unshed tears as the flowers shriveled and turned black. "I-I didn't know you hated him that much! And I thought since you slept over for a little while during the summer, that you saw he wasn't that bad."

Sirius wanted to say that he didn't hate Snape, just to make her happy. Maybe yesterday he could have lied but today, he had to admit, "I don't think I can forgive him for this, Kimmy. Remus didn't deserve it."

Kim went back to looking at her feet. "I know."

* * *

"Are you mad at him?" Harry asked as he helped Remus pack his endless supply of books. Remus had more books than anyone else he knew. He practically had a library crammed into his office.

Remus, who was cleaning out his now empty tank, didn't answer at first. To be honest, he was more sad than angry. He lost his job and felt like he lost a friend too. "I want to be angry but can't. Severus… I think he was hurt and afraid, and that's the only way he knew how to express it."

Harry pulled a face like he didn't believe him. "Everyone but Sirius makes him about to be this, like, amazing guy. But he isn't very nice and I can tell he hates me, even though we never speak besides when I hand in an assignment."

"Severus is…" Remus bit back a smile. It was hard to describe Severus properly after what had happened. "Severus and your father didn't get along well in school. And you look exactly like him. However, he and your mother were best friends during most of their childhood. You have her eyes, her kindness, and, from what I heard, her temper too. So he's… conflicted."

Harry became even more repulsed. "He wasn't in love with her, was he?"

Remus laughed nervously. "He, ah, never said so, to my knowledge."

Harry tried to picture Professor Snape with a tall, mature version of Kim. "That's disgusting."

Remus laughed genuinely this time. Severus would have cut his throat if he had heard this conversation. He supposed it was the only revenge he was going to get. "Just try to remember that he's human too."

Harry started listening off all the nonhuman things Severus had been called in the halls over the past few weeks. "I've heard that he was a vampire, a dungeon bat, and… a wanker. But I'm not sure what kind of animal that is."

Remus snickered and ruffled his hair. "It's not an animal. It's a very crude name. I'll leave it at that. I'm sure Sirius would love to tell you how poor Severus is one. However, I wanted to ask you something."

Scowling, Harry tried to flatten his hair, knowing it was sticking up at all ends now. "What?"

"Do you want to visit your father at the hospital? I could ask Narcissa, Draco's mother, to take you." Remus didn't want to ask, actually. But the man was paralyzed and figured he should.

Harry bit his lip. It was wrong to say no, but he really didn't want to. He loved his family, but not only did he fear his father, he never felt like he belonged. That was why he wanted to meet his godfather and sister so badly. He had thought, and luckily he was right, that he would feel like he fit in better here. "No. Does she-I mean Kim- want to? To apologize or something because… I think it's best to leave him be. My brother and cousins will keep him company."

"Er…" Remus didn't actually know how Kim felt about what happened. She didn't talk to him like she used to. He knew he had to give her time to forgive him, but that didn't make it hurt any less. "I'm not sure. Severus told her, not me. I haven't asked her."

"Oh." Harry went back to packing up the books. He didn't want to explain how much of a disappointment he was growing up, and Remus couldn't make him. "We can send him a card or something, I guess."

Remus sighed and started helping him with the books. If Harry didn't want to explain, he wasn't going to try to force him. "Alright. We'll send him something right before he gets released."

* * *

Kim didn't have the slightest idea of what to do. When they weren't taking exams, Hermione was trying to study whatever subjects they had left. She was constantly crying and not even Ron talking with his mouth full could get her to stop to yell at him. She wasn't wailing, just constantly sniffling and wiping her eyes. Kim thought that was sadder because Hermione didn't have the energy to get her frustrations out. Ron tried to get something out of her with one last interrogation.

"C'mon, 'Mione!" he whined. "There's no way you can take the Muggle Studies and the Charms final at once. You must be cheating or something."

Hermione tensed, not seeing Kim and Ron high five behind her. She was back. "_Cheating?_" she screeched as if Ron had called her the foulest of names. "You think _I_ am _cheating?_"

Ron nodded bravely as a few students fled the Common Room. "How else can you do it? My theory is you've hired someone to polyjuice as you during the day."

"How dare you?!" Hermione threw down the quill that Kim had barely seen out of her hand lately. "How dare you accuse me of cheating? Why would I cheat? No learning comes out of cheating!"

"I mean, it kind of does." Kim shrugged when Hermione rounded on her. "Like if you write a cheat sheet. Remember when Seamus stuck one the back of Crabbe's head in History last year? He wrote out the cheat sheet and hardly looked at it during the test because he had to look up all the information to write down."

"You would know since your eyes were glued on it," Hermione spat. "I am not like you two! _I_ enjoy learning."

From her seat by the fireplace, Ginny pointed at Hermione's tearstained notes. "You haven't been lately. Is it worth it if you hate it, Hermione?"

Hermione deflated once again. "I… I don't hate it! I'm just tired."

"All the time," Kim argued. She couldn't remember the last time she saw Hermione without dark circles under her eyes.

"Which is the only reason we really don't believe you're cheating," Ron added. "We… Well, _they _miss the old Hermione."

Kim smacked him on the shoulder, trying not to smile when Ron cried out and yanked at her hair. "Somehow you're in three places at once. And it's wearing you out Hermione! We don't need to know how, but we want you to not feel so crummy all the time. We miss our friend."

"I need to know how," Ron grumbled so low that Hermione couldn't hear him.

Hermione smiled. "Well I do hate Divination. And Muggle Studies isn't necessary."

"And?" Ginny asked. Hermione already agreed to drop those!

But Hermione wouldn't budge. "I'd have a normal schedule without them!"

"And?" Kim didn't know what else Ginny wanted but figured she'd play along.

When Hermione spotted the bucket of water balloons by Ginny's seat, her expression soured. She still had four exams left! "After dinner."

"For an hour," Ginny countered.

Hermione groaned but gave in. "Fine."

"What?" Ron asked when Hermione hunched over and went back to studying.

Finally, Kim spied the water balloons and grinned. "Meet us by Hagrid's after dinner."

Ron figured Hagrid had something really cool to show them. Foolishly, he shrugged and said, "Okay."

Once again, he fell for what Ginny decided would be a yearly tradition of pelting Ron with water balloons to celebrate the end of the school year.

* * *

"You can come over my house this summer," Blaise promised as they sat by the lake now that exams were over for the day. "My mum's getting me a boat."

Kim smiled, not wanting to admit that she had never been on a boat before. "Padfoot said to stay away from you because you told him you like to dress up as a clown in private."

Blaise put a hand on his chin and looked at the sky as if he was trying to remember when he told Sirius that. "Was that before or after I had to go into town and get him a potion to kill his fleas?"

Kim shuddered at the thought of Padfoot having fleas before she could go back to teasing him. "It must've been while you were shampooing the potion into his hair. How'd it feel to shampoo a dirty, thirty four year old man?"

"It was rather fulfilling," Blaise said so seriously that Kim wasn't sure if he was kidding or not. She sure hoped he was. Once he saw her staring, he laughed. "Nah. I mostly gave him food while he tried to play protective godfather and scare me into not liking you."

Kim wanted to say, _Did it work?_ Even squeaking it would've been better than her choking on her words. Blushing, she cleared her throat. All she could manage was, "Padfoot likes chicken. That's why I named him Chicken Finger."

Grinning, Blaise put his arm around her and said, "Don't worry. I won't ask you to be my girlfriend." Kim's shoulders slumped, but out of disappointment or relief, she didn't know. When Blaise continued, she could've sworn she stopped breathing. "Not today anyway. I'll ask you on the boat. That'll be much more romantic."

She was going to throw up. She knew it. All this excitement and disappointment followed by more excitement was too much! "I hate you, Blaise."

Blaise snorted like he didn't believe her for one second. Then, he nearly made her yelp when he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry. I think it's exciting too."

* * *

Harry appreciated that Kim was helping him with Potions, especially since this was the first time she spent more than half a minute alone with him. However, he was a little thrown off by how _weird_ she was.

They were studying in the library and whenever he would take the time to read a passage, she would stare out the window instead of doing the same. She would say that most random things: that she thought some girl named Lavender Brown should where lavender perfume instead of lilac, that Remus would look funny if he wore a bowler hat and a monocle, or that she wanted pizza with little meatballs on it.

"Do you think birds have eyebrows?" she asked while he was trying to read about the Shrinking Solution.

"What?" Harry wasn't trying to be rude, but who asks that? Especially when they were trying to do something important that had nothing to do with birds!

Kim wasn't fazed by what Harry thought was rude. "Because owls kind of look like they do, but most birds don't. So why would owls need them while other birds don't?"

"Uh… I don't know…" Harry didn't care in the slightest but kind of did wish he knew. Then maybe she'd like him a little more.

"Hmmm…" Kim went back to staring out the window. "I wonder what I would look like without eyebrows…"

Merlin this was awkward. And Harry had no idea how to change the subject. All he had was, "Some girls don't. But they draw them on with makeup pencils."

Kim shook her head as if she thought that was ridiculous. "Some girls are weird."

Harry stared. Those girls were probably a lot more normal than her. "Yeah," he said slowly. "Some girls are."

"Ginny said your eyes are like emeralds." Okay, now he knew she was torturing him. She went on talking as if what she said didn't make him blush to the roots of his hair. "I told her I was going to tell you, and she said mine are the color of poop." Kim lowered her voice to a whisper. "I think she likes you."

"Are you trying to mess with me?" Harry asked as calmly as he could. He barely knew Ginny! The most he knew was the lie Draco told him about her worshiping weasels!

"A little bit," Kim admitted. "Are you going to school here next year?"

"I want to. I-I mean I don't know." Harry bit his lip when she pursed her lips like she wasn't sure whether she liked the idea or not. "We'll have to see what my mom says."

Kim nodded. It would be weird, having him around all the time, but she supposed not a bad weird. Hadn't she always wanted a sibling to play with when she was little? "Okay. I'll tell Ginny you're available."

Harry wasn't sure what that meant, except for the fact that Ginny was probably going to be as mortified as him. "Gee, thanks."

Kim beamed, and Harry supposed that was a good sign. "You're welcome!"

* * *

To Severus's surprise, Kimberly didn't zip through the written portion her final and flee. The boy did, although he had a feeling that it was more out of fear than anger. As much as he wanted to hate and ridicule the mouse like Potter, he couldn't bring himself to do it, not with Lily's wide eyes staring back at him.

Kimberly was the last to finish her exam. Actually, she finished before about five of her classmates but pretended to be reading over the questions until they left. Since her relationship with Lupin was strained, he thought she would hesitate to defend him, but perhaps he was wrong.

"What is it, Kimberly?" he asked flatly after she handed in her exam and started staring at him with thinned lips. "I don't have time—"

"I trusted you. And Remus did too…" She fidgeted slightly, trying to figure out how to put her emotions into words. "I know you hate Padfoot but…" Her eyes filled with tears. "I know you don't hate Remus too!"

For the first time in years… For the first time since Lily died, Severus regretted an impulsive action. However, he wasn't about to share that with the girl. "Is that all, Kimberly?"

Again, Kimberly pursed her lips, reminding Severus of Petunia during the summers when he was in his early teens. She hated it when he stopped by the house to visit Lily, especially when it rained and they stayed in the house. "Remus says he forgives you."

"Then Lupin is a fool," Severus said dryly.

Kimberly narrowed her eyes in what Severus could only describe as the Petunia Evans Judgement Stare Down. "He's your best friend."

Severus desperately wanted to throw her out, push her away and look forward to a summer of silence. But he couldn't force the anger out, let alone the words. He should have, because then she would run off crying and not have had the chance to say her next words.

"I forgive you too." She was gone before he had the chance to yell at her.

* * *

At the very least, Kim thought she was going to be able to say goodbye to Remus and Padfoot at the train station. She didn't expect the press to be waiting outside the train for Padfoot and even worse, Harry.

Harry had himself practically plastered against the train when a woman with rhinestone glasses pretty much pounced on him. She took no notice of his fright and motioned for her cameraman to take a picture of him. "Harry? Harry? How does it feel for the world to finally know about you? Do you feel overshadowed by the Girl-Who-Lived? Your very existence was kept a secret after all while she was showered in fame and glory!"

Before Sirius could react, Kim roughly pushed the reporter to the ground and stomped past her. Remus called out, "Kim!" But she already ran past the barrier.

Sirius tried to smile as he put an arm around Harry and helped him force his way through the rest of the reporters with their personal questions and flashing cameras. "At least she's sticking up for him. Right Moony?"

Remus rolled his eyes and ran to the Muggle side of the train station.

Only Uncle Vernon was waiting for Kim once they sorted through the crowd of Muggles. Remus gripped her shoulders tightly, wishing she had forgiven him so he could try to make her feel safe, although Sirius was doing a fine job.

"Listen here, Dursley." Sirius jabbed a finger at his chest, even though Vernon's meaty hand could easily grip his entire neck. "I'm going to be watching you every chance I get. You won't even know I'm there, so you'd better always watch your back!"

Vernon barely looked at him. The old fool told them the convict wouldn't hurt his family, and he was foolish enough to believe him. He grabbed Kim by her free arm and yanked her forward. "Hurry up, Potter. We have an errand to run on the way home."

Kim's eyes were as round as full moons as she looked back to see Remus holding back Sirius from attacking Uncle Vernon. She should have told them what she told Severus. She already regretted it.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! There's only one Dursley chapter left! But it kind of draws Sirius over the deep end in GOF Chapter 2… :( So for the one-shot, it looks like number 2 won, so that means you'll get a glimpse of who I **_**may**_** pair Harry up with (although I am also considering Ginny or Hermione…). Please review!**


	16. Sequel Up! Stupid Longbottom

**Thank you Emarye and LilyEvansDouble for reviewing!**

**LilyEvansDouble: **

**Actually I wanted Harry in this from the start. The first time I implied it (although very, very lightly) was in PS chapter 6 when Remus referenced Kim as a baby, and Severus stared at him and kind of told him off. I stuck in those sort of hints every once and a while like when Remus would cut Sirius off visiting him or when he told Kim that he had someone else he wanted to join their family. **

**If it'll help you stick with the story, I update every Sunday, sometimes every other Sunday during the school year. I will write more about Harry's family in Chapter 5 of GoF, but until then, I'll tell you they are a lot like Sirius's family. The reason for the wait is that Kim is reluctant to get close to him, Sirius is still adjusting to "normal" life, and Remus already knows and it's a tough subject for him.**

**I guess he was out of character...Draco helped Harry more out of curiosity than anything else, although I did explain that he figured it would be a good idea for Harry to owe him a favor. It's not everyday someone you've never seen before is wondering about the school. Well, a school like Hogwarts anyway. Like I said before, Harry grew up in a family like Sirius's, so he grew up pureblood without being pureblood. He was teased because of it and never really had friends. So, Draco is like the friend Harry wanted growing up but the friend who never "stooped" to being friends with him.**

**Oh and I don't think Kim will regret marrying so young because in the sequel to 7****th**** year, I don't have her having a baby until she's 24 or 25, which I know is still young by today's standards... However, I'm very introverted, so I will admit I don't do a lot of "young and crazy" stuff, so I probably don't understand. (I'm 21.)**

**Sorry for not sending this in a PM! I'm never sure if people are comfortable with that.**

**Gwenlynn (if you get this far): I probably could have made a lawyer OC, but Mad-Eye was the only one who believed him, and I think a lawyer would be reluctant to take on his case. And as for Narcissa, I probably did that because I always liked her character. And as I mentioned in her argument with Abraxas, I wrote into the story that she lost a daughter. Kim lost her mother, so they sort of clicked. However if Draco didn't like her, I don't think I could of written Narcissa as liking her so much.**

* * *

**Okay. Now on with the one-shot. :) This takes place on the train in the Halfblood Prince. I'm sorry if the conversation is too crude. At sixteen, my friends and I were (still are) potty mouths.**

**Title: _Stupid Longbottom_**

Draco couldn't help but rub at his arm. Father should have listened to Mother. They should have fled the country. No, _he_ should have listened to Mother. There was no way he could kill Dumbledore, no way he could kill anyone for that matter.

"Hey." People were still boarding the train, and Kim was standing in the doorway of his empty compartment. Draco involuntarily held his breath. This was the first time she had spoken to him since that awful spring day.

Apparently, this was as far as she got with her plans to approach him. She pursed her lips. "I was telling the truth that day. In Severus's office."

"I know," Draco forced himself to say. At the time, he was too hurt not to believe her previous lie. "I… I was too angry at you to believe you at the time."

She nodded as if he was agreeing with her about the weather. "But what was in the papers the other day was true."

Draco stared as she got embarrassed and ran off. What was the point in admitting _that?_ If anything, it would make him believe the lie instead of what she said in Severus's office. Or was that her way of saying she was finally ready to be honest with him? Draco thought about it in silence as the train started and his friends filed in the compartment. Halfway through, he wrinkled his nose and turned to Blaise.

"What are you doing?" he asked incredulously. His friend seemed to be trying to charm parchment into roses.

Blaise grinned. "I'm going to ask Kim to go to Hogsmeade with me."

"With a smelly paper rose?" Draco did his best to smirk at him. "Good luck. She isn't head over heels in love with you like she was fourth year."

Blaise's expression darkened. "That's not fair… Anyway, it doesn't matter now. Ginny told me she's doing better."

_Since when do you talk to the Weaselette? _Draco shook his head, telling himself he didn't care. But Kim _did_ seem better, like the life was back in her, even if it was only a little. He tried his best to act cocky, even though his heart was starting to pound with jealousy and worse, fear. "Oh? Sorry to disappoint you, Blaise, but she'll be with me long before Hogsmeade trips start."

Blaise leaned over, obnoxiously staring at his left arm. The unspoken _With a Dark Mark?_ was followed by a sarcastic, "Good luck. You'd have better luck seducing Dumbledore."

"I heard he has a thing for blondes," Daphne said, tearing herself away from her novel for the first time since the train started.

Draco ignored her. "She loves me."

"She loves who she _thinks _you are." A little hurt, Blaise propped up his Transfiguration book, hiding behind it. "Unfortunately, I love her too much to tell her what you really are."

Draco felt his face heat up, as if the blood was boiling under his skin. "You've been licking your wounds since fourth year! What makes you think she's even interested?"

Blaise glared at him. He hadn't been licking his wounds! Draco simply mistook his celibacy for a broken heart. He had a few girlfriends but nothing serious enough for anything more than snogging. "I guess we'll see."

Jealousy festered within Draco. He wanted to be cruel, but Blaise was still his friend. Yet he was a threat… Eventually, he settled for crude. "Yeah… You'll see when I have her pinned against the wall—"

"Draco!" Harry squirmed in his seat. He should've known better than to sit between these two. They always got weird when Kim was single. "Do you know how freaking awkward that was? You know, before you started talking about going animal on my sister?"

Daphne threw down her book and curled into a ball, laughing hysterically. Draco blushed. While he was being a dick, he forgot that there were other people in the compartment. Thank Merlin Pansy wasn't here. Poor Astoria seemed ready to burst into tears.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Harry fidgeted again. "You're disgusting."

Wanting to get back at Draco, Blaise smiled at Harry. "Who'd you rather Kim be with? Me or Draco? And remember, _I _respect women."

"You mean you get too nervous to do anything," Draco muttered under his breath.

Harry almost laughed but seemed too uncomfortable to do so. "Somehow, that doesn't help your case, Draco."

Finally, Daphne managed to stop laughing. "Harry, did you know that Pansy told me Draco has a thing for—"

"Daphne!" Draco yelled before he could die of embarrassment.

Daphne smirked. "Payback's a bitch, isn't it, Draco?"

It had been almost a year for Merlin's sake! Draco threw his hands in the air. "For the last time, Daphne. Pansy dumped _me!_"

Daphne stuck her nose in the air like she didn't believe him. "I'm Team Blaise."

"Of course you are," Draco grumbled, not noticing Astoria smile at her sister appreciatively.

Blaise tried not to look at Daphne's little sister. She'd had a crush on Draco since she started at Hogwarts, and he couldn't help but feel bad for her since Draco only occasionally acknowledged her existence. He tried to focus on Harry. "Harry's vote matters the most. Since he'll get Sirius on his side."

"I will?" Harry shrunk in his seat a little when everyone in the compartment started staring at him. Great, just great. He was tempted to get out of it and say only Kim's vote mattered, but he didn't want them bothering her. Severus was likely to slaughter them. "Er, is it too late to vote for Team Neville?"

"Neville?" Daphne laughed again while Blaise and Draco started bickering. "He's like her brother! He's likely to vomit if they so much as get close enough to snog!"

Harry hummed in agreement. "It's Sirius's dream. He still tries to convince her to become a nun, although I'm sure the Church either wouldn't take her or kick her out in an hour. Neville's the next best thing, I suppose."

Astoria smiled shyly in thanks, like she was afraid he'd give Draco more hope. Harry smiled back, wishing she wasn't in love with Draco. Then she'd smile more often. She lifted an imaginary glass like she was making a toast. "Team Neville!"

Draco stopped bickering with Blaise and scowled. His friends could've at least given him one vote! Stupid Longbottom.

**Thanks for reading! And thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, and enjoyed this story. I really appreciate it.**

**Oh, and I know it's like a month late but thank you suektlsn for reviewing Moving On. The series helped me learn how to write and I really appreciate that people still enjoy it.**

**GoF can be found here: ** s/11344818/1/Kimberly-Potter-and-the-Goblet-of-Fire

**And for Lucius/Narcissa fans, I started a short story about their love story. If you want to check it out, it can be found here: ** s/11344835/1/The-Match-of-the-Century


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